Twilight's Angels Forever Lived
by xXAryonnaXx
Summary: Conceived under the light of the full moon, Akina and Miki have always known they were different. Maybe that is why they find themselves drawn to unlikely partners...SasukeXOC, GaaraXOC
1. Chapter 1: The Chuunin Exams Begin

"Akina, wake up!"

Miki is shaking me frantically in an attempt to get me out of bed.

"Go away," I mumble tiredly, rolling over in bed.

"I'll leave you here," she threatens, still shaking me. I imagine her red hair flipping across her face with each shake.

"Go ahead," I grumble.

She stops shaking and huffs. "Fine, be late. You can deal with Ayame then. If you don't make it on time don't say I didn't try." She stomps off, slamming my door shut.

I know I should purse her, but instead I shut my eyes and fall back asleep.

My alarm blares in the next five minutes, forcing me to wake. I slam my palm on the top of it, rising groggily out of bed. I walk into the bathroom, ignoring the frizzy, mangled mass of hair on my head.

I turn on the hot water, climbing into the shower. Dirt and twigs fall to the bottom of the bathtub from my hair and face. I scrub the dirt from last night's mission off myself.

_To think Ayame had us scrounging around through the swamp last night the day before the chuunin exams,_ I think bitterly.

I finish showering and grab a towel from the rack, wrapping it around myself. Once I step out of the shower, I reach under the sink and pull out another towel, sopping up the water from my hair. I flip my hair over my head, rubbing my locks between the soft cotton of the towel.

When it is dry enough I flip my hair back over my head, catching my reflection in the mirror as I do so. I trace my finger against the scab on my cheek. I roll my eyes in exasperation and turn, walking away from the sink, picking up a brush as I leave. I walk past my sister's makeup chaise, having no want or need to put any on myself. I shed my towel and put on a black sports bra, not that it helps much, and red, lace panties.

Walking over to my closet, I pull out one of the many black dresses I own, along with a fishnet, turtleneck top. I pull the long-sleeve top over my head first and then the dress. The fabric of the dress is breathable and prevents sweat from building up and drenching my body. It fits my curves perfectly. The bottom stops just below my butt and there is a slit on the left front side of my thigh.

I grab the brush I threw on the bed earlier and brush out the honey brown strands of my hair before parting it to the right. I pull my hair into a messy bun on the top of my head, shaking it to set it after I pull it tight.

I walk over to my night stand, pulling on my muddy, black fingerless gloves. I glance at the clock and swear.

I dash out of my bedroom and pass by the kitchen on the way to the door. There is a note on the table, along with an apple, my hip pouch and forehead protector. Miki's messy handwriting is scribbled across the card.

It reads: You have 15 minutes. You'd better start running.

I glance over at the clock and swear, realizing she knows me all too well. I throw on my hip pouch and tie my forehead protector around my waist. I grab the apple off the table and make a mad dash for the door, biting into it as I close the door behind me.

...

I make it inside the giant double doors just before they slam shut. Unfortunately, because of that I end up rolling in on my butt. "Dammit," I curse, rubbing my back.

"You're so irresponsible, Akina," Miki says gruffly, extending her hand to me.

Bitterly, I grumble and take her hand, letting her help me to my feet.

I hear Siori sigh behind me. "You couldn't put on anything more appropriate for today?"

I stick my tongue out at her, brushing the dirt off my dress. "Sorry, all my long clothes got dirty yesterday, courtesy of Ayame."

She rolls her eyes in response, irritated. She prefers more conservative clothing, as is displayed by her long, slim kimono. It fits her body close enough to prevent any hindrance to her movements, and the slit up from the floor allows her legs to move freely. Even so, she wears black tights underneath it to prevent any of the skin on her legs from showing. She pulls her long black hair into a traditional braid behind her back and wears only foundation and red lip stick on her lips.

"Give it up, Siori-chan. I try to buy her new clothes, she merely prefers that," Miki says dismissively, waving her hand nonchalantly.

Though my sister and I are identical twins, we could not be farther apart. Instead of showing off her curves, she prefers to wear loose, black baggy pants. She instead prefers to show off her incredibly toned stomach with a bright red, long-sleeved flowing top. Her straight, bottle-red hair flows over her shoulders, parted to the left. Her bangs cover most of her forehead, separating only at the part. She wears a liquid foundation underneath a powered one, and bright green and white eye shadow along with a golden bronzer on her cheeks and pink lip gloss.

I never understood why she felt the need to wear so much make-up over her flawless skin.

"Are you ready to start ladies? Or are we just in the way?" the proctor's annoyed tone makes Siori blush.

"Yes, forgive us," she apologizes. She slips a piece of paper in my hand, motioning with her figure towards the seat next to Sasuke.

I grumble again and stalk off, looking down to see the note has a number on it only when I sit down.

"You really should work on your timing, Hoshigaku," he comments.

"Didn't ask for your opinion, Uchiha," I reply, crossing my legs, the leather on my knee high, low heeled boots, rubbing together.

He scoffs, balancing a pencil between his fingers. I glance over at him, raising and eye brow at the smirk on his face.

"You make me laugh, Hoshigaku."

Having no idea of what he's talking about, I merely roll my eyes.

I cross my arms, closing my eyes. The proctor is babbling about the exam in front of us being worth ten points. He goes on further to explain that 1 point will be taken off for a wrong answer, two points if we are caught cheating and if one of us fails then we all do.

There is something about his tone that raises questions for me. I open my eyes, glancing down at the paper as the proctor shouts, "Begin."

I allow my eyes to scan over it for a moment before I close them again.

_Impossible_, I think. _This test is absolutely impossible for gennin of our level. Which is why they stress so much on cheating. They know there's no possible way we could figure this out on our own. They expect us to obtain the answers. Which also means… _

I pause in my thoughts and breath in deeply, activating my Yaminome with my exhale. The room illuminates behind my closed lids. I scan my eyes around, finally locking on a shinobi three desks in front of me. He fills in the answers without hesitation, only feigning it to keep up appearances.

_Which also means they'd put several rats within, because someone needs to know the answers_. I smirk, holding back a scoff and raise the fingers on my right hand ever so slightly from my arm. I feel my fingertips tingle as small, almost-invisible tendrils of black lighting snake from them, licking the answers onto the paper.

I continue this until question eight, when I hear the whirl of a kunai as it heads in my direction. I break the strands, raising my hand in time to catch the kunai just before it connects with my temple.

"No sleeping during the exams," one of the assistants yells at me.

I smirk, yelling back, "I'm not sleeping, I'm merely resting my eyes." I hear Sasuke scoff beside me.

I flip the kunai in my fingers, stabbing it on the desk. Behind my closed eyes, I see the look of agitation on the assistant's face as he sits again.

I chuckle internally before gathering the strands again to answer the ninth question.

"Using your Yaminome so soon, Hoshigaku?" Sasuke murmurs beside me.

"You're one to talk. You've had your Sharingan active for a while now." I whisper back.

"It's just disappointing. I could've saved myself the trouble and cheated off you. Of course, you don't use a pencil, so it takes a while for your answers to become visible."

The corners of my lips rise into a smirk. "Yes, that is my Yaminome's advantage. What I write does not become marked in until I say so."

I breathe in deeply, deactivating my Yaminome with my exhale. Opening my eyes slowly, I allow them to adjust once more to the light within the room. I glance over at the clock, there are twenty minutes remaining._ The proctor will give the final question soon, then._

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><p><strong>AN: Chapter one of the story stemming from the oneshot Before the Dawn. Please read, review, etc. Look forward to more chapters in this story. **


	2. Chapter 2: Doubt

_Miki_

I glance over at my sister, a confident smile on my face.

_I knew you wouldn't slack off, not for these exams,_ I think.

"Now," Ibiki, the proctor says, "It's time for the tenth and final question. But before we begin, I'm inclined to give you a set of rules."

I grit my teeth in annoyance. _Rules are all we ever seem to get in these stupid things._

"First, you may choose whether or not to take the final question. However, if you choose not to, you're entire team will be eliminated along with you."

I gasp a little. _That's insane. Who in their right mind would make the decision to kick out their entire team?_

"What's the catch?" a blond sand kuniochi yells from the back of the room.

Ibiki smirks a little, saying, "The catch is, should you answer the final question wrong, you will be permanently banned from taking the Chuunin Exams ever again."

The blood in my veins freezes. I cast a sideways glance at Akina. She remains coolly in her seat, her opened eyes betraying not a single emotion on her face. I know her better than that though. Internally, she will be at war with herself.

I flip my pencil nervously through my fingers. _I'm not good at any of this stuff, and Akina is only slightly better than me at it. Siori shouldn't have a problem, since she knows everything it seems. But I worry about Akina and me. What if one of us messes up? Akina would never forgive me if I ruined her chances at ranking up forever._

I see Akina look back at me and purse her lips into a small smile. She isn't going to back out. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Siori give an almost imperceptible nod in Akina's direction. She's going to go for the question as well.

I feel my heart jump into my throat. _There's no way I can back out now. Please, don't let this question be difficult._ I stare down at the pencil I hold uselessly in my hands, continuing to balance it back and forth across my fingers.

All around me, young gennin raise their hands, their cowardice getting the best of them. I hear their numbers called out one by one.

Suddenly, the room falls silent.

I glance up, taken aback when I spot Naruto's trembling hand raised in the air. _Naruto?_

I jump ever so slightly when he slams it down on the desk, proclaiming, "I will not back down! I don't care if I fail this test. One day, I will become Hokage!"

His words are just what I need to hear. I stop twiddling the pencil between my fingers and smile confidently. _Naruto is right. I can't back down, not now. I have my own goals to reach._

Ibiki glances around one final time. "If there are no more, than I would like to congratulate you all on passing the first exam."

The smile drops from my face. "What the hell!" Akina shouts, rising from her chair and slamming her palms on the desk. "You'd better be kidding right now."

As embarrassed as I am by the scene she's making, I can't help but to agree with her.

"Now why would I kid about something like that?" he asks. "The final question wasn't so much a test of knowledge, rather than your ability to commit to your teammates. You gave the right answer to the question by choosing to remain in the room."

Akina huffs, folding her arms across her chest and sitting down with a thump. She will be pissed off about this for the rest of the day.

"So, then, what was the purpose of the other nine questions?" Sakura asks.

"To test our information gathering skills," Siori answers. "The object was to get us to cheat without being caught. A good ninja should be able to gain reliable information without the enemy gaining knowledge of a breech."

"Which is exactly why they positioned 'rats,' so to speak, among us," I add to her explanation.

Ibiki smiles at us, presumably pleased with our deduction skills. The two planted ninja stand, raising their hands.

Naruto nods his head, saying, "Right, of course." I roll my eyes, knowing very well he had absolutely no idea.

"You we're purposely given two impossible choices: abandon your friends or walk into what could most likely be a trap. As shinobi, we cannot simply refuse to fight and live another day. There will be many cases when you will be asked to infiltrate a fortress you know nothing about. You must carry out the mission, placing faith in your teammates to execute their parts correctly. As for intelligence gather, know this: bad intelligence can be almost as bad as none."

He pauses for a moment, reaching up to untie his forehead protector. I have to bite the inside of my lip in order to hide my shock. There are scars, cuts and burns covering his scalp. "In some cases it can be far more lethal as well." He allows the effect of his scars to seep in before tying his forehead protector on again.

In the next second, there is a crash in the window. I follow the moment as kunai stab into the ceiling, and a young kuniochi unfurls from the cloth attached to the kunai. "Alright you maggots, get ready for the second stage of the Chunnin exams with your proctor, me, Anko Mitarashi."

Ibiki pops his head out from behind the sheet with her name on it. "Anko, you're early, again."

Her face falls in embarrassment. _Great,_ I think. _She's an idiot._

"Ibiki, how many did you let through? You've gone soft."

He smirks, stating, "Perhaps we've just got a tougher group this year." She shrugs.

"Either way, when I'm done with them, over half will be gone."

I catch Akina narrow her eyes slightly as a small smile creeps on her face. Her fingers thrum against the desk in anticipation.

"Okay maggots, be prepared to continue tomorrow. You're squad leaders will inform you all on where to meet. Until then, you're dismissed."

I rise from my seat, walking to Akina and waiting for Siori to come over.

"Such a waste of time," Akina spits out, lacing her fingers behind her head.

She turns, walking towards the door. Siori and I follow her. "I don't know, perhaps it did you some good, Akina. Maybe you'll learn a lesson or two in patience," Siori states.

"As if I need a lesson in that." Siori shrugs, snickering slightly.

When we get outside, Akina and I wave goodbye to Siori, heading towards our apartment.

"What do you want for dinner?" Akina asks, glancing over at me.

I shake my head. "It doesn't matter." She sighs, looking down.

"Miso soup and rice balls it is then."

I smile at her. "Sounds good to me."

A beat of silence passes between us before I finally say what's been on my mind.

"Akina?"

"Yeah, Miki?"

"If it comes down to it, are you prepared to fight Sasuke tomorrow?"

"Yes." There is no hesitation in her voice.

I look over at her, shocked. "But—"

"This is a competition, Miki. He and I both know that and have known that since we saw each other today. He wouldn't ever forgive me for pulling punches on him, and heaven knows I feel the same way. It's the same for Ren and his squad. Or did you forget that they're apart of the chuunin exams as well?"

I look down. Truth be told, I had been trying to forget that fact, ever since I met with them earlier at the first stage. The thought of fighting my own cousin and best friends was too awful.

"Miki, something tells me tomorrow, things are going to get very dangerous. I need you to be focused and prepared for whatever happens. Got it?"

I nod, making eye contact with her. She smiles softly at me, slinging an arm around my shoulders. "Alright, let's get home then. I'm starving."

I laugh at her, thinking how much of a simple minded idiot she is.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Chapter 2!**

**I must say this isn't my favorite chapter. In fact it's probably one of the worst that I've written. I don't like Miki's generic characterization. But, I think this chapter is still important, which is why I'm posting it. **

**Miki does get much better, I promise. In fact, in the next chapter I believe. **

**As always, review please! I like all kinds of comments, even the brutally honest, soul-crushing flame comments.**

**With love,**

**Ary**


	3. Chapter 3: By the Light of the Full Moon

_Miki_

It is a full moon tonight.

The light from it illuminates my room, removing the shadows from the walls.

I sit on my bed, gazing out the window. _There's no way I'm going to get sleep tonight, not with the moon this way._

I pull the sheets off my legs, climbing out of bed. I change into my day clothes, slipping on my black sandals.

I poke out of my room silently, stopping only to look inside Akina's room. She is fast asleep in her bed. I shake my head and make my way out of the house, shutting the door quietly behind me.

I walk down the road adjacent to our apartment, sliding my fingers against the wooden fence. I don't know where I'm walking to.

As I walk by another set of apartments, I sense someone nearby. I glance up, spotting the red-haired, sand ninja from the chuunin exams. Before I know what I'm doing, I jump up, landing about ten feet from his left side.

"What do you think you're doing up here?" he inquires, eyes staring coldly at me.

"I don't know." It's the only truthful response I can think of.

I walk away from him, hands behind my back, gazing up at the moon. His eyes follow my back as I walk.

"I could kill you."

There is no emotion in his voice.

I stop, eyes fixated on the moon. "Something tells me that if you wanted to do that, you would've done it already." A moment of silence passes between us. "Why are you awake?" I finally ask.

He doesn't respond for the longest time, as if he's pondering whether or not to simply ignore me.

"I don't sleep."

I turn back towards him. "Ever?" ]

"Ever," he replies.

"Huh," I say, raising an eyebrow.

I walk over to the edge of the roof, sitting down and letting my feet dangle off. "I couldn't imagine never being able to sleep. Because, without sleep, how could we dream? That's why I hate full moons. I don't know what it is about them, but I can never sleep during one. My sister's the same, except hers is with new moons." I know I'm babbling, but I just can't seem to stop.

"She just likes the darkness. What about you, what keeps you awake?" I ask, looking back at him.

He keeps his gaze forward, silent again, as if he is searching for the right words.

"A monster comes out when I sleep."

Somehow, I know he means the words he says.

I get up, and move to him, crouching in front of him. "How about I read your future?"

I sit, crossing my legs in front of me. I reach out to take his hand when a wall of sand shoots out, slapping it away. He glares at me.

"It's alright," I say, not even flinching.

I reach out again, this time a wall of sand blocks my path. I press my palm flat against it. "You do the same, this way, we won't have to touch."

He hesitates for a moment, eyeing me wearily, before slowly raising his hand to press it against the wall of sand. I smile at him, closing my eyes and breathing in deeply. As I exhale, I activate my Hikarinome.

I open my eyes, knowing that baby blue of my iris and black of my pupil have disappeared, leaving only white in their place.

"What do you want to know?" I ask him.

He doesn't respond.

"Okay," I say instead. "Let's just see if you make it past the second round of the chuunin exams."

I raise my right hand, keeping my left still pressed against the sand, and lock eyes with him. I form half of the ram hand seal and murmur, "Secret Technique: Future-Telling Jutsu."

Images whirl in my head, all in correct time sequence. I see us parting from here, then tomorrow at the chuunin exams. He and his squad enter into a massive forest, searching for something.

My vision fast forwards, now he holds a bloody scroll in his hand, corpses lying in front of him. It fast forwards once more, and I see him fighting another genin, losing at first, but beating and nearly killing the boy in the end.

I pull back, out of the vision and breath in deeply, releasing my Hikarinome.

"You will kill many people in the future," I tell him.

His face does not change at my words.

"But you do make it past the second round."

I glance over at his hand, still pressed against the sand and see that the layer between our palms has withered to almost nothing.

Very gently, I pull my hand back. "I need to get back home." I rise, turning my back to him and starting off.

"What is your name?" he asks in the same, cold, husky voice.

I turn, smiling back at him. "Miki Hoshigaku. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, Gaara of the Desert."

I am about to jump down when I stop, glancing back at him once more. "Love, that is what your tattoo reads, right?"

He nods, barely so.

A small smile teases the corners of my lips. "Goodnight, Gaara."

I jump down from the roof, and make my way home.

When I arrive at home, I don't bother to take off my clothes, knowing it will be daylight again soon. I lay down, resting my head against my soft pillow. As I close my eyes, I feel myself drift to sleep. I dream of the red-haired boy with blood on his hands and tears in his eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And that's the Miki that I like! This is one of my favorite chapters that I've written so far. Interesting right? I hope I characterized Gaara right in this. Review please!**

**As always,**

**Ary**


	4. Chapter 4: The Forest of Death

_Akina_

I stretch my legs on the ground, leaning forward so I can touch my toes. The second part of the Chuunin Exams is about to begin.

Siori clutches our heaven scroll in her hand, studying it for a few more seconds before putting it in her hip pouch.

"Alright, so we all know the plan?" Miki asks.

I nod, rolling back slightly before flipping onto my feet. "Siori will take the scroll first, then, we'll switch it off at hourly intervals. I'll get the next shift."

"If any one of us should get separated, our priority is to find one another. Obtaining a scroll will mean nothing if all of us aren't able to make it to the tower," reminds Siori.

I outstretch my hands.

"Both of you, come here."

I activate my Yaminome as they place their hands in mine. Lightning tendrils snake from my fingertips, licking their names invisibly on the skin on top of their hands.

"This signature only appears when I command my chakra to make it do so. This way, we won't be confused by an enemy transformation jutsu."

Miki smiles at me, nodding approvingly. "Good idea."

"The gates are about to open," the assistant announces.

The three of us turn as he unlocks the gate. A beat passes, and then the gates spring open.

We take off, wasting no time. I jump up, traveling by tree branch, while Miki and Siori remain on the ground. Even at night, with my Yaminome, I will have no trouble seeing their figures in the darkness. For now though, I need to focus my attention ahead.

It takes us twenty minutes before we draw near an enemy. A shuriken stabs into the tree in front of me and I drop to the ground, running alongside Miki and Siori now.

"Neji Hyuuga, Rock Lee and Tenten are about 30 meters away from us," Miki informs me.

I nod, jumping up again and grabbing hold of the nearest branch, swinging myself up and forward. I quickly find my footing and accelerate, making up lost distance in a few seconds.

_If Siori and Miki are able to move faster than me on the flat ground, Neji and his team most likely will be able to as well. I need to strike now, before they reach them first._

I reach down into my shuriken holster and pull out three senbon. Performing hand signs around the needles, I focus my chakra into them. I close my eyes and wait a moment, before opening them just as I emerge from the trees overtop of Neji, Rock Lee and Tenten.

"Shadow Senbon Jutsu: Thousand Needles of Death."

I fling the three senbon, one on target for each person. Tenten is the quickest to respond, grabbing a kunai from her own holster and throwing it to deflect the needle.

I push off the truck of the nearest tree, a smirk on my face as the needle explodes, sending a shower of senbon needles raining down on her. Seeing this, Neji and Rock Lee sidestep the needles heading for them.

I come to a skidding halt in front of them.

"Tenten," Lee yells, running towards her.

Miki moves in front of him, pulling back her arm.

"You'd be wise to keep your eyes on your opponent," she warns, driving her fist towards him.

He ducks, dodging her punch and delivering a kick of his own. She rises her arm, blocking the kick with her forearm.

"You rookie gennin are annoying," Neji says in irritation, activating his Byakugan and lunging for me.

Siori steps in front of me, deflecting his attack with a flick of her wrist.

"You are not the only one who has studied to gentle fist style," Siori tells him, a smirk crossing her face.

He grits his teeth. "Very well. Let's see if you can keep up."

He launches at her with a series of gentle fist strikes. She is able to parry every one with her own chakra for the moment, but I know it will not last long.

_Siori knows her gentle fist, but she is no Hyuuga. She needs to find an opening and soon._

I glance back, making sure that Tenten is out cold on the ground still.

_At least we won't have to worry about her_, I think.

As I turn back, I see Siori fly past me, Neji in pursuit of her body. I grit my teeth and grab a kunai from my holster, running in between them throwing it. He pulls his own, deflecting the kunai and shoves his palm towards me.

Though I lift my forearms in time to block, the blow still sends pain searing through my arms. I grip his hand, and push away the palm of his opposite hand. I drive my chakra powered knee into his stomach, making him cough up blood.

I release his hands, allowing him to stagger backward. He regains his balance, but a second too late. Siori slips in between us, fingertips severing his chakra connection in the blink of an eye. He falls to the ground, unconscious.

She staggers backwards, falling into my arms. I glance over at Miki to see her secure Lee against a tree with wire. She walks over to Tenten, pulling the Earth scroll from her pocket.

"Sorry," Siori murmurs.

I smile down at her. "It's alright. Can you walk now?"

She nods, rising to her feet.

"Release me!" Rock Lee shouts from his tied position.

"When we're far enough away, a paper bomb will go off. That'll free you from the wires," Miki calls over her shoulder. She looks at us, holding up the scroll. "Let's go."

Siori and I nod, following her off into the trees.

"That was too reckless, Siori. No matter how far you've developed with your gentle fist style…to use it against Neji was foolish thinking."

I am only listening to half of Miki's lecture. The nagging pain on my neck has begun again. It increases with every step forward, so much so I have to stop. I reach up, digging my nails into my flesh.

"Akina, what's wrong?" Siori asks, leaning in front of me.

Miki pulls my hand from my neck.

"It's back."

I bite my lip, glancing around anxiously. "He's here. Somewhere close."

I get on my feet, pushing past the pain and follow my fear. Cold chills run up and down my spine by the time I know that I'm within 50 meters of him.

"Don't be a hero, Naruto!"

_Sasuke?_

"Akina, you can't! If you fight him you'll be killed." Miki sounds on the verge of tears.

"Sasuke and his team are out there with that manic, Miki!" I yell.

Her eyes go wide. "What?"

Without a second thought, I activate my Yaminome, running at full speed towards them. I pull out a kunai, bursting through the trees just as Naruto is lunging for the grass ninja from before.

The pain that racks through my body at the sight of her is unmistakable.

I slam into her body, digging the kunai into her shoulder and forcing her through the trunk of the tree behind her.

"Akina."

I dare a sideways glance at Sasuke. The terror on his face is absolute.

"What's the big idea, Akina? I was gonna handle it!" Naruto shouts.

Miki appears behind him, throwing her hand into the back of his neck. He falls forward, unconscious into her arms.

"What the hell was that for?" Sakura shouts, raising her fist slightly.

Ignoring her, I look back at Sasuke. "Hurry, take Naruto and Sakura and get out of her. You're only going to get yourself killed if you stay any longer."

I feel the grass ninja slam into me, pinning me against a tree trunk opposite the one I just slammed her through. Her body wraps around my own, threatening to squeeze the life out of me.

"Is that any way to greet an old friend," she purrs in my ear, tongue licking across the curse mark.

My neck sears as her tongue touches it and I scream in anguish. Miki slides to a halt in front of us, her Hikarinome blazing in her eyes. She holds the tiger hand sign in front of her face.

"Release my sister. Now!" she commands.

The grass ninja's face twists up into a smile, sending shivers down my spine.

"It seems you've gotten stronger since we last met."

Miki glares at her, her eyes full of hatred. She is so focused on the grass kuniochi, she doesn't even take notice of the giant serpent behind her.

"Miki, move!" Sasuke, Sakura and I scream together.

She turns just a fraction too late. The snake lunges for her, mouth open wide.

_No!_ I scream inside my head.

In the next second, the snake suddenly hisses in pain, tumbling backward.

Naruto stands in front of Miki, fist raised.

"Hey," he says, eyes turning to meet hers. They blaze a crimson red, the spirit of the demon fox shining through. "Never knock me out again."

She sighs gratefully and allows a small smile to cross her lips as she nods. Without warning, the grass ninja unfurls, dropping me and slithers on top of her summoning.

I fall, too disoriented from the pain in my neck to catch myself. Thankfully, Siori dives after me, helping me catch my balance before I can impact into the branch below us.

"Are you alright?" she asks, gazing at me worriedly.

I nod, rising on shaky legs. "Stay down here, you'll be safer."

"Are you nuts?" She practically screams the words at me. "You'll be dead in a minute if you go up there."

"Siori, I don't have a choice. I—"

I am cut off by Sakura's scream of, "Sasuke, move!"

I look up, spotting Sasuke just in time to see the serpent lunge for him. Without thinking, I push Siori back, bounding up towards Sasuke. I grab his elbow, forcing him back and wrap my arms around him. I squeeze my eyes shut, waiting for the pain of fangs to tear through my flesh. It doesn't come.

I open my eyes, shocked to see Naruto holding back the beast, a kunai stabbed in its face. I glance down at Sasuke, who is still horror stricken.

"Snap out of it," I demand, wanting to slap him.

Miki appears in mid-air behind the grass ninja, throwing her foot towards the back of her head. She reaches up, grabbing my sister's foot and throws her casually through a set of tree trunks. I hear the sickening splintering of wood as she rockets through them.

"Miki," I call, searching for any sign of her in the dust.

I go to move for her when the pain in my neck fires up again. This time, I am forced to my knees, little gasps of pain escaping my lips.

"You're not hurt, are you?" I hear Naruto ask Sasuke. "Scaredy cat."

I cannot even look up to see the shocked expression I know is on Sasuke's face.

Finally, I manage to lift my head and am forced to watch helplessly as Naruto is lifted by the grass ninja's tongue. She hovers him in the air for a while, lifting his shirt to examine the seal that has manifested itself on his stomach. A devilish grin crosses her face. Five purple flames light across her fingers, setting the hairs of my skin on edge. She raises her hand, thrusting it into Naruto's stomach. He wails in pain as the marks burn into his flesh, passing out when she retracts her hand.

Without a final glance, she tosses him, allowing him to fall. Siori, in appall, jumps up and catches him, landing awkwardly on a nearby branch.

I hear the shuffle of Miki's footsteps as she walks up beside me, clutching her left arm.

"Is it broken?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "Sprained, I think."

I nod.

I hear Sakura's incessant screaming in the backward. "Stop being such a coward, Sasuke. Call Naruto what you will, but at least he's willing to fight." Tears fill her eyes at this point.

I am half tempted to tell her to shut up, when I catch the look in Sasuke's eyes. They blaze a brilliant crimson, black spiraling in the pupil. This is the first time I have seen the use of his Sharingan eyes in combat.

The grin on the grass ninja's face only widens, and in a puff of smoke, she sends away her snake summoning.

"Come then, show me what you can do," she hisses.

I collect myself, raising my arms in front of my face and spacing out my feet.

Sasuke is the first of us to lung forward, releasing a barrage of taijutsu kicks and punches on her. This gives me enough time to slip behind her. I throw a punch at her, only to have her bend her head out of the way.

She retaliates with a kick, which I throw up my forearm to defend. Her kick feels like molten lava when it impacts. It takes all of my strength not to scream.

_Dammit,_ I think, flipping backward to avoid her drop kick. _Neji's Byakugan caused more damage than I thought._

She comes at me with another punch. I sidestep avoiding the hit and drive my leg up, aiming for her side. She slithers back again, dodging my attack. Instead of pursing her, I jump back.

She turns, bounding backwards just in time to avoid Miki's chakra powered punch. The thick branch explodes under the weight of her chakra.

Fireballs burst forth from the splinters, aiming straight for the grass ninja. She lands, slithering her body around the branch to avoid the onslaught.

I follow her this time, throwing my foot into her jaw the second she stops slithering. She flies backward.

Miki and Sasuke both grab ahold of her, pile driving her head into the ground. Her skull cracks in loud bursts as it impacts with the tree branch.

Sasuke and Miki both slide off quickly, skidding to a halt on opposite sides of her body.

I hold my breath, praying for it to be finished. My prayers are short-lived however, when the body begins to melt into mud.

_Substitution!_

I pivot on my heel, flipping back in time to avoid the grass ninja's swing at me. I draw three of my senbon quickly from my weapon pounch, hurling them at her. She deflects them easily, but misses the shruiken that fly around her.

Before she has time to realize what is happening, Miki moves in front of her, kicking her and slamming her into the trunk of a tree. Sasuke yanks on the wires attached to his fingertips, securing her against it.

The three of us perform hands signs rapidly.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

"Dark Style: Black Lighting Storm!"

"Light Style: White Flame Blizzard!"

My attack erupts from my outstretched hand; vibrant streaks of lightning combining with Sasuke's powerful flame and Miki's brilliant white barrage of fire. I breathe heavily when its finished, waiting several seconds before daring to let me arms fall to my sides.

"You did it," Sakura shouts, running over to us.

She smiles at Sasuke. "It's over now, you won."

Siori jumps over to us, holding Naruto on her back.

I'm about to call to her when I hear the snapping of wires. I turn back in utter horror.

"There's no way," Miki whispers, almost breathless.

She falls to her knees, staring as the grass ninja pulls herself free.

Her icy laugh pierces the silence of the forest.

"Very good. I expect nothing less from the last remaining survivors of two exceptional clans."

Sakura raises her fist in frustration shouting, "You got the scroll! Just leave us in peace!"

The kuniochi laughs again, her voice this time morphing into a masculine tone. She raises her head, revealing a set of golden eyes.

"Orochimaru," I hiss, hatred pouring from my mouth.

He smirks at me. "Akina, I'm pleased to hear you remember me. It's been too long."

"I don't know what sick game you're trying to play, Orochimaru, but if you want me, you've found me. Let Sasuke and the others go."

He chuckles, regarding me as if I am a naïve child. "Silly girl, it isn't you I want. All the same, I'll be on my way. But first…"

He pauses, forming a hand sign with his fingers I know all too well.

"I leave you with a parting gift, Sasuke."

"No!" I scream, but I'm too late.

Orochimaru sinks his fangs into Sasuke's neck, allowing the vemon of the bite to sink in. Sasuke falls to his knees, gasping in pain. I run to him, placing a hand on his back.

"I did enjoy this little demonstration of your powers, today. When you are ready, come and seek me out."

With that, he slowly melts into the branch of the tree, disappearing.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Phew! Wasn't that a long chapter? Luckily, I big chunk of the the chuunin exams is now over. So yay for that, right?**

**I didn't plan on releasing another chapter today, but 22 hits in one day put me in a rather good mood. **

**As always, please review! I would really appreciate some feedback on this story.**

**With love,**

**Ary**


	5. Chapter 5: Decisions

_Miki_

Sasuke's screams of pain echo throughout the forest.

_I feel so helpless, to have to watch him suffer._

I catch Akina activate her Yaminome out of the corner of my eye. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I have to help him."

She won't meet my gaze. She is solely focused on Sasuke right now.

"You can't do that! If you try to enter his soul now, you'll go through the same things he is."

"I don't care."

I step forward, grabbing her arm to pull her back and freeze when I see her expression. There is so strong a look of pain in her eye; I begin to feel it as well.

"No one should have to endure this alone. No one," she admonishes. "Protect my body and keep it close to him."

He screams again, reaching out to grip her hand. A single tear slides down her cheek, and then I know when she has completed the jutsu.

She remains conscious only a few seconds longer than Sasuke, keeping a dead expression on her face to mask the pain.

"What's going on?" Sakura's voice quivers badly.

"Akina bonded with Sasuke's soul to help him," I explain, walking to my sister.

"Can you carry him?" I ask, nodding towards Sasuke.

Sakura nods and walks over, slinging Sasuke's arm over her shoulder. I grunt when I pick Akina up, pain shooting over my injured arm.

"Miki, let me take her," Siori says softly.

I shake my head. "No, I'm fine I promise. I can heal it when we find somewhere safe to rest. Besides you can't carry Naruto and Akina."

She holds her worried gaze on me, as if I may change my mind suddenly without telling her.

"Stay near me," I command the two of them.

They nod, following behind me as I take off through the trees. I activate my Hikarinome, praying there is enough light for me to be able to see. There is, but just barely.

Through the cracks in the forest canopy, enough light shines through from the setting sun for me to spot an opening in a tree trunk that will house us. We stop there in the next few seconds, hauling the three of them inside.

Sakura pulls off Naruto and Sasuke's hip pouches, putting them behind their heads. She does the same for Akina after a moment of hesitation.

"Why did you help us?" she asks, after sitting back. "I mean, aren't we the enemy here?"

I sigh, leaning back against the tree trunk.

"It wasn't so much, just for you guys. We would help anyone who was forced to fight that monster. Honestly, I'm surprised we were able to walk away with our lives."

I stare down at my hands, glaring.

Siori clears her throat, garnering our attention. "It's almost nightfall. I don't know about you two, but I don't want to be caught off guard if something decides to slither its way in here."

I fall on my side, lifting myself up on my arm to glance out the opening. The moon is already visible in the golden sky.

I sigh, leaning back against the base of the tree trunk.

"I can handle lookout tonight. You two get some sleep."

Sakura raises an eyebrow.

"You can't possibly stay awake all night," she questions.

"It's fine, Sakura," Siori says, resting her head back against the tree bark as well.

Sakura furrows her brow as if she doesn't trust us, then, after a second thought she shakes her head dismissively. When she opens her eyes again, she fixes her gaze on my arm.

"What?" I ask.

"Your arm looks like it's in pretty bad shape," she comments, sounding concerned.

I glance down at my wrist and elbow, seeing the purplish black bruises and swelling on it for the first time.

"It's nothing," I mumble, placing my hand over it.

I gently coax out my chakra, letting it wash over my arm. My injuries heal at a slow pace, but eventually fade, leaving my skin an irritated pink color. She stares at me in awe, as if I just brought something back from the dead.

"Where'd you learn that?"

I shrug, pulling down the ripped sleeve of my shirt. "It's just something I picked up."

She is about to say something more when Sasuke stirs beside her. Forgetting about me, she turns her attention to him, placing a hand to his forehead.

"He's burning up," she whispers.

She rises from her sitting position in the next second and pulls a white cloth from her bag. Quickly, she runs outside, dipping the cloth in a nearby stream. When she returns, she unties his forehead protector and places the cloth over his forehead.

"That won't do much good," I admonish.

She glares at me, snapping back, "I can't just do nothing."

Siori opens an eye. "Miki's right. That won't help him. The only person who can do that right now is Akina."

She opens her mouth as if to say something more, but closes it in the next second. Instead, she turns her gaze back on Sasuke, stroking his hair softly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: It's a short chapter, but I like it all the same. I got my first review on this story, which makes me so happy! Please, continue to review! **

**Next chapter out soon!**

**As always,**

**Ary**


	6. Chapter 6: Sea of Gold

_Akina_

The brightness of the golden sea snakes its way into my sight.

I open my eyes, staring upward into the ripples. They flow by in peaceful waves, a movement I have already seen.

Sitting up, I glance around, remembering this place from the first time I visited. I can't help but think how peaceful it is, without the nagging voices in my ear.

In the blink of an eye, the scene changes before me. I'm standing behind Sasuke now, staring into the face of a younger version of the Uchiha. He talks to the present day Sasuke; his words like venom to the soul.

"It seems real doesn't it?"

Sasuke turns to face me, eyes wide with shock. Whether it is from his former self or me I can't tell.

Realizing who I am, he calms slightly, turning his back to me again.

"What do you mean?" I can hear the fear in his voice.

I turn, walking away from him and run my fingers across the kitchen counter.

"It's not real, none of it. It looks real, it even feels real, but it isn't."

"Where is this place?" He is fighting to keep the quiver from his voice.

"You tell me. This is your mind. This curse works to unlock every doubt you have, every fear, every secret. It breaks you down to nothing, seeping into your very core. If you can survive that, it bequeaths you with amazing strength."

"The strength to kill my brother?" The words rush from his mouth in a whisper.

I nod my head once. "And more. But, do not mistake it for a gift. It eats away at the very thing that makes you human, tainting it. This is a curse, Sasuke, nothing more. You gain power at the price of your soul. Orochimaru doesn't have pure intentions by branding you with this."

He stares at me, unsure of what to say.

"How do you know all this?"

I turn my neck to him, knowing the spiral brand shines through my manifested clothing here.

"This is the same mark you now bear. Orochimaru cursed me with it when I was ten."

He furrows his brow, a look of shock donning on his face. "So that's why you came to help us."

I nod again, not knowing what else to say. A brief silence passes between us before he says, "How did you get in here?"

I shake my head, smiling slightly. "That's not important. What's important is that I am here, to distract you when you need it."

He doesn't need to turn around to know what I'm referring to. His younger self still remains standing there, a devilish grin on his face as he mumbles menacingly.

"Will I survive?" There is a hint of sadness in his voice, coupled by anger.

I shrug. "Perhaps, though not likely."

"What does that mean for you then?"

I have been dreading this question. It seems it was evitable though. "In keeping with the exchange I offered to get here, I must endure this with you, even if that means dying alongside you."

"Get out," he says coldly.

I smile gratefully. "It's not that simple, Sasuke. My bargain was written in blood. There is no turning back." I fall to the floor, crossing my legs in a sitting position. "You're stuck with me, whether you like it or not," I say, grinning.

"How can you be so nonchalant about this? You may die because of me!" he shouts, clenching his fist in front of him.

I lock eyes with him.

"Then don't die," I tell him.

His eyes widen slightly and he steps back, turning his head. He is glaring at the younger version of himself, lips pursed. He grinds his teeth, blowing air out through them in frustration.

"You're an idiot."

I laugh, tilting my head slightly. "So I've been told."

He kicks the ground once more, then comes to sit beside me, refusing to look at me. I poke his arm teasingly. He would do the same thing when we were little and I had upset him.

"I'm sorry," I say.

He grunts, too stubborn to simply accept my apology. I look down at my fingers, knowing he will continue to ignore me until I apologize 99 more times.

However, he surprises me instead, saying with a sigh, "I don't blame you, even if you are a moron."

My face softens and I smile at him. "Thank you, Sasuke."

He catches my gaze and turns his head, but not before I catch the pink tint of a blush on his cheeks. I giggle slightly.

"Why did you follow me here?" he questions, averting the situation.

I stare down at my toes.

"No one should have to endure this alone. I know this doesn't offer much help, but, I hope it will be enough."

I glance over at him, but he is already distracted again, his eyes drawn to his younger self. I remember being in his position, having to stare at myself. The malice in my eyes in burned into my memory.

I stand, only long enough to move behind him. Sitting down, I wrap my arms around his body, pressing my face into his back. His body is cold by now; his skin feels like ice.

"You have to get yourself out." I whisper, holding him closer, attempting to send my warmth to him.

Slowly, as if it pains him, he reaches up and grips onto my hand, holding on like it is his lifeline.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**I hope you enjoyed this little chapter. Expect more to come of this new connection (a LOT more in fact.) And the next chapter is all Miki, and it's rather fun.**

**Now, I actually have a few things to say this time, so bare with me. **

**I just finished writing the end of the final stage of the Chuunin Exams and they're quite the tearjerkers. While I have those written, I don't have the prelims completely finished, so it'll be a while before they get posted. I'm happy with the result though, even though I'm sure you all will be...shocked to say the least. So look forward to that!**

**Secondly, thank you to all of my readers! I really appreciate you all I do. **

**Finally, I have the first couple of chapters of the shippuden arc written (yeah, I know I'm all over the place. *sigh*) I'm really happy with what I have so far, and honestly, I plan on cutting Twilights Angels right after the Sasuke Retrieval Arc, because the rest is just crap. Don't expect hardly any filler chapters either really with Twilights.**

**As always, read, review and revisit!**

**Sincerely,**

**Ary**


	7. Chapter 7: Attack of the Sound

_Miki_

Sunlight pours in through the crevasses of the tree, shining in Siori's eyes and waking her. She rubs her eyes sleepily, blinking before looking over at me.

"Did you sleep any?"

I shake my head, keeping my gaze down so she won't see my eyes. I clench my fingers to stop my hands from shaking.

"The moonlight kept me up all night," I reply.

She nods, knowing I'm lying but choosing to ignore it.

I hear a small squeak and turn my head sharply in the direction it came from. There is a small squirrel running towards us.

"How cute," I hear Sakura say from behind.

Siori narrows her eyes.

"What?" I inquire.

"The way it's running," she explains. "I don't like it."

Without another word, she draws a kunai, throwing it at the rodent. It scurries off to the left, avoiding being hit by the weapon.

I climb to my feet, nearly toppling over as I do so. Siori extends her hands, catching me. Her worrying look is plastered on her face.

"Maybe you should rest."

I shake my head. "I'm fine."

Clenching my fists, I force myself to stand up straight. _Damn it, _I think._ That jutsu was more taxing than I thought. I can barely stand up right now. _

"Some watch group."

Startled, we turn our heads in the direction of the voice. Three ninja stand less than 20 meters away from the tree.

I pull a kunai, too weak to try a jutsu.

"Why don't you save us the trouble and wake up Sasuke Uchiha?" the one on the farthest left says. There is a wide smirk across his face.

I grip kunai tighter, blocking the entrance.

"If you want Sasuke you're going to have to go through me."

"And me," Siori adds, holding her own kunai up now.

"Fine by me," the cocky one says, holding out his arms. Burst of air spurt from them, mingling with the surrounding air.

The one with bandages on his face slumps forward slightly.

"We have no time for you. Bring out Sasuke Uchiha."

Siori and I do not move.

"You asked for it," the kuniochi warns, coming at us.

_Dammit it! _

Before I even have time to react she is knocked back.

"You picked the wrong team to mess with!"

I sigh, releasing the breath I'd been holding.

"Mikomi!" Siori shouts, gleefully.

Mikomi flips her fiery red hair over her shoulder, holding up two fingers.

"What's up guys?" she asks with a giggle.

Two other shinobi appear just then, flanking her sides.

"I don't really care for people who bully my cousin."

I am touched at the appearance of my black haired cousin. "Ren, what are you doing here?"

"We heard some noise and thought we'd check it out," Hiroshi explains, running a hand through his messy blond locks. "Looks like we'll be doing pest control."

Mikomi giggles, a broad smile on her face. She holds out her thumb, pointing it downward and sticks out her tongue at them.

"Oh, yeah! This should be over quick."

"Don't think I'm letting you guys have all the fun," Siori says, walking beside Hiroshi.

"Why don't you get out of the way, Takato?"

Hiroshi looks slightly agitated, blowing his hair out of his face.

Siori glares at him. "You're the one who will be in the way."

"Hey!" the cocky one shouts, rising up his arms. "Don't ignore us!"

As the last word leaves his mouth, air shoots from the openings in his hands. I try to dodge it, but my legs give out. Clamping my eyes shut, I wait for the impact. When it doesn't come, I open my eyes to see Sakura hovering over me.

"Are you alright?" she asks.

I nod, not knowing what else to say. I try to stand up, only to fail and be forced to my knees again. She catches me.

"Take it easy."

Gently, she helps me sit up.

I turn to look at the fight, shocked to see Hiroshi on his knees. He is gripping his ears, slamming his eyes shut in agony.

"Hiroshi!"

Siori is running towards him, only to be punched in the jaw by the kuniochi. Siori wheels on her, eyes blazing, and throws a defensive punch back at the girl, connecting solidly with her stomach. The kuniochi reels back in pain, gripping her stomach.

"You bitch," she spits at her, but Siori is already leaning beside Hiroshi.

"Are you alright?" she asks him.

"Get your lazy ass up, Hiroshi." Mikomi shouts, ducking to avoid the swing of the bandaged sound ninja.

She swivels as she does so, lifting up her foot to deliver a solid kick to his side. However, it is Mikomi who falls to her knees, vomiting over the forest floor.

"What the hell?" she gasps out, staring up at him.

Her orange red locks flay around her face as she bends over to throw up again.

"Just give us Sasuke and this will all end." The ninja says, the smirk on his face obvious in his tone.

"Not a chance in hell."

She grits her teeth, forcing herself on wobbly legs. Her white shorts are caked with grass stains and dirt from the forest floor. She futilely brushes off the dirt from her blue and purple kimono top, muttering, "Dammit it, this is brand new."

"Allow me to take you shopping for a new one when this battle is finished."

"Lee?" Sakura asks, almost in a whisper.

Rock Lee stands in front of Mikomi, arm outstretched in fighting position.

I catch movement in the corner of my eyes and turn to see Ren's head slammed in the ground by the cocky ninja from before. He grips the dirt in an effort to pull himself up, but is instead knocked down again by the sound ninja's foot.

"You're all so weak." He laughs, seemingly out of boredom.

"Get off him," Hiroshi barks, struggling to rise to his feet.

Concern splays across Siori's face.

"Hiroshi, just stay down."

He pushes her off, struggling to get on his face.

"You're finding it hard to stand aren't you?" the bandaged sound ninja sneers. "That's what my attack does."

He raises his arm, letting the sleeve roll off a mechanical-looking contraption on his arm. "This amplifies my chakra, allowing me to direct it into your ear drums. I don't even have to touch you to affect you."

"I would suggest you pay attention to your opponent," Lee says, unwrapping the bandages around his arms.

Realization dawns on Mikomi's face. She reaches forward, grabbing Lee's arm. "Are you insane? You can't do that! You're going to get yourself killed!"

"Please, do not try to stop me. I must do this; to protect Sakura."  
>I feel Sakura tense behind me, her grip on my shoulder tighten slightly.<p>

Mikomi stares at him in disbelief, then with seeming reluctance, steps forward, shaking free the bandages wrapping around her own arms. As he opens his mouth to protest, she throws up a hand.

"Don't even start. If you think I'm letting you take the spotlight, you've got another thing coming." She tilts up her lips in a cocky grin.

They move so fast in the next second, even my trained eyes have difficulty following them. Mikomi and Lee dash in front of the kuniochi and the bandaged ninja, delivering synchronized kicks to their chins. Crouching down, they jump upward after them, locking their arms around the ninja. The bandages on their respective arms slither around the ninja, locking them into place.

"Primary Lotus!"

The cocky ninja's smirk falters. He turns, lifting his foot off the now unconscious Ren.

"Damn, Dosu, Kin!"

He slams his hands to the ground a second before his teammates heads are sent spiraling into the ground.

Lee and Mikomi skid to a halt behind them, panting heavily. Mikomi collapses, her body already too weak from the beating she took earlier.

"Dammit," she curses, unable to even lift her head.

_I have to do something,_ I think, trying again to rise to my feet.

"Thanks, Zaku."

I feel my jaw drop in disbelief as Dosu yanks his head from a mound of dirt. A moment later, the kuniochi does the same, shaking the dirt from her hair.

"No way," I hear Sakura breathe behind me.

"That's impossible." Hiroshi attempts to move forward, only to fall to his knees again, gripping his ears in pain.

Lee moves behind Dosu, considerably slower and launches a kick at his head. Pivoting, Dosu lifts his arm, blocking the kick and causing Lee to scream out in pain. Blood seeps from his ears as his hands fly up to cover them.

"It's no use. That won't block out the sound."

Dosu hovers over him, flicking the device on his arm again. Lee falls forward, the pain racking his body from the Lotus and Dosu's assault too much to bear.

"It's really quite funny, you know." Kin's nasally voice pierces the air behind me.

I feel Sakura's arms ripped away from me. I turn my head backwards to see the kuniochi gripping Sakura's hair.

"Maybe if you'd spend a little more time on your jutsu, rather than shampooing, you'd be stronger."

"Let her go," I shout, pulling out a kunai as I stagger to my feet.

"I would lower that if I were you," Zaku warns.

He has Siori pinned on the ground below him, an arm outstretched towards her head.

"Unless you want her head to come off that is."

Siori grinds her teeth. "Shut up! Ignore him, Miki!"

I glance between Sakura, who is crying now, and Siori. Lee, Mikomi, Ren and Hiroshi lay sprawled on the ground, all but Hiroshi unconscious.

_What the hell am I supposed to do? Akina, please, help me!_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yes ladies and gentlemen, the next two chapters will be Miki chapters. But that's alright, because we all love Miki, right? :)**

**I honestly don't have much to say. Mostly, I'm just tired. **

**Anyways, review please! I like hearing feedback from you all. It makes me happy (even if it's bad).**

**Grosses bises,**

**Ary**


	8. Chapter 8: Final Stand

_Miki_

I stand there, listening to the sound of my heart pounding in my throat.

_I don't know what to do! Someone help me!_

My blood runs cold through my veins as I stand there helplessly.

"You really think that will work on me?" I hear Kin ask from behind.

I turn to see Sakura smirk back at her.

"It's not for you."

My eyes widen as she raises the kunai, slicing through her hair to free herself. Kin falls back, caught off guard by her sudden action. Sakura rises, her leaf forehead protector falling from her head as she does so.

"No more running," she says, her voice resolute.

I catch Siori roll out of the corner of my eye. She flings Zaku off herself, drilling her fingers into his side in the process. He moans in pain, gripping his side as he stumbles to a halt.

She pushes herself onto her feet, getting into fighting stance.

"Let's end this then."

Zaku laughs. "You think you can take me on? Bring it."

I watch as Siori lunges for him, her palms raised. He throws up his arms, air shooting from them towards her. She jumps, narrowly avoiding the arch of the attack and brings her foot down to his head. He raises his arms, blocking her attack and grips her leg. With an effortless toss, he throws her into a tree. She crashes through it with a sickening thud, lying face down in the grass.

"Weak," he spits before receiving a punch to the cheek by Sakura.

He wheels on her in surprise, raising his arm. "You're going to pay for that."

Air shoots from his arm, cutting into her.

A log replaces her body.

"Substitution. Very clever."

He rubs his cheek bitterly, looking around for her. I spot her jump from the trees at the same time he does. Her hands form the appropriate hand signs for a substitution jutsu.

"This again?"

He throws several kunai at her, then lowers his head. "Where are you now?"

My breathing quickens as I spot blood run down her body. It drips onto Zaku's face, as he glances up, finally realizing she never left. She descends on him, stabbing the kunai deep into his flesh, biting his arm to grip onto him.

"Let go of me, you crazy bitch!" he screams, throwing punch after punch at her head.

She remains crouched there, teeth locked onto his arm.

_Sakura, just let go. What do you think you're doing? He's going to kill you._

The barrage of punches continues. Sakura takes one after another, refusing to release him. Finally, he connects one good enough to knock her off him. He rises to his feet, outstretching his arm.

"You're gonna pay."

Before I know what I'm doing, I lunge for him, slamming my body into his. The whole effort of that movement forces me to my knees.

_My chakra is almost completely drained. What the hell am I thinking?_

Fighting against my body, I force myself onto my shaking legs. "You stay away from her." I raise a kunai up in a shaking hand.

"You've got some nerve, kid." He raises his arms again.

I know this time there will be no stopping him.

"Say your prayers."

Suddenly, three figures stand between me and him. I recognize Ino's blond head almost immediately.

"Ino," Sakura says. There is a question in her voice.

"Surprised?" Ino asks in response. "I swore I'd never let you show me up."

I fall to my knees, my legs no longer able to support my weight. _Thank god_.

Choji whines pitifully, clearly wishing to leave.

Zaku laughs, saying, "What's wrong, tubby?"

Choji's whining ceases almost immediately. "What did you just call me?"

"Tubby," Zaku repeats, that smug smile of his still plastered on his face.

"I. Am. Not. _TUBBY_!" Choji shouts, his chakra levels flaring.

His body expands into a giant round shape.

"Human Bolder!"

He begins to rotate rapidly in the air before charging down, barreling after Zaku.

"Zaku," Dosu says in alarm, attempting to move after him. He is frozen where he stands though. I see the link between his shadow and Shikamaru's.

"I don't think you're going anywhere." Shikamaru glances over at Ino. "Now or never."

She nods to him and then raises her hands, focusing on the sound kuniochi.

"Protect my body."

She is gone in the next second. Shikamaru reaches out to grab her and the sound ninja does the same.

"Kin, do something!" Dosu orders, still trapped in Shikamaru's shadow possession. "Kin!"

The kuniochi raises her head, a smirk on her face. She presses a kunai to her throat.

"Game over, boys. Now, unless you want your teammate here to die, I suggest you hand over the scroll and leave."

An uncomfortable silence hangs in the air for a moment.

Zaku's laughter is the first to break it. He holds up his arms, air bursting forth until Choji's spin in broken, leaving him disoriented on the ground.

"Go ahead, it's not like I care."

The cold detachment in his voice sends chills down my spine.

"In fact…" He raises his arm, shooting a blast of air from his arm.

The kuniochi is knocked back into a tree. A trickle of blood flows over her lips. I notice Ino's do the same out of the corner of my eye.

"I couldn't care less for any of my teammates, quite honestly," Dosu explains.

Shikamaru's shadow begins to falter, releasing Dosu from his control. The four of us stare at them in complete bewilderment.

"But, she's your teammate," I stammer.

Zaku shrugs, a devilish smile still on his face.

"It really doesn't matter to us," Dosu says.

I want nothing more than to slam both of their faces into the mud in that moment.

"Miki Hoshigaku!"

I look up to see Neji and Tenten standing in the tree behind me. Tenten spots Lee, a look of relief crossing her face.

"There he is, nearly got himself killed."

A look of annoyance crosses Zaku's face.

"What, are you going to fight us too?"

I hadn't noticed Neji's byakugan was active until he releases it. "I won't have to, it seems."

The presence of a familiar chakra makes my blood freeze.

I glance back at the grove where Sasuke, Akina and Naruto lay, horrified at what my eyes are forced to see for a second time.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The Forest of Death in nearly completed! Phew, that went fast. **

**A few notes: **

**I won't be updating daily, as I was in the past. I just don't have the time for all that. I will try to update every other day to every three days if possible.**

**I'm going to begin releasing one shots in between chapters to help with confusion on relationship developments and the like. Since the story is told mainly between Akina and Miki's POV's I won't touch a lot of the other characters. **

**Please read and review as always! **

**With love,**

**Ary**


	9. Chapter 9: Calm Before the Storm

_Akina_

Slowly, I open my eyes to gaze upward. My body is thrumming with power, my blood boiling under my skin. Rage surges throughout my body, threatening to consume my soul.

A scream rips through the air.

I turn my head to see Sasuke, holding a boy by the arms, snapping them behind his back. The expression on his face breaks the rage coursing through my body.

He drops the boy, turning to another ninja.

"I guess you're next."

He voice is nothing like his own.

He moves forward and my body reacts, chasing after him. Before he has another chance to step forward, I am blocking his path, my lips pressed against his.

* * *

><p>Sasuke froze at the feel of her lips against his own.<p>

His heart pounds rapidly against his chest. He stares down at her, only vaguely aware of Sakura's arms wrapped around his waist, her pleas for him to stop.

He slowly raises a hand, threading his fingers through her loose brown locks. They felt so smooth under his fingertips, so soft.

_Let go, Sasuke._ Her voice rings in his head.

Closing his eyes, he pulls her in closer, deepening the kiss. His anger melts away, all the way down to his toes. She pulls away from his lips, her brilliant coal black eyes shining on him.

* * *

><p><em>You've come back,<em> I think, a smile creasing my lips. He stares at me, fingers still locked in my hair. He raises a thumb, stroking the skin on my cheek gently.

"Thank you," he says, his voice almost a whisper.

I nod to him, a gentle smile still on my face.

"Akina."

I turn to face Miki, surprised at the hollow feeling I get when Sasuke's hand slides from my face. She is on her butt beside Naruto, her body looking exhausted.

I run to her, crouching down.

"Are you alright?"

She nods, giving me a weak smile. "Just tired. Go check on Siori. She got thrown pretty hard." She raises a shaking finger to point to a shattered tree trunk.

I dash over there, pausing only for a moment to avoid a collision with the fleeing sound ninja.

He locks eyes with me, fear evident in his own beady black eyes.

"I owe you my life," he says softly.

I nod almost unperceptively. Wasting no more time, I continue to Siori.

I'm shocked to see Neji, crouched down with her in his arms.

"What're you doing?" I ask.

He glances up at me for a moment, Byakugan eyes blazing. A wryly grin crosses my face.

"Are you peeking through her clothes?"

His face heats up, turning bright red.

"Don't be ridiculous. I was going to wake her up, you fool."

He lowers a finger to her stomach, pressing slightly.

Her eyes flutter open as she sucks in several choking breaths. Her eyes lock with Neji's.

"Did you..?"

He starts to push her up, ignoring her question.

"Can you stand?" he asks instead.

She nods, allowing him to help her stand on her feet. When she is finally standing, his hand rests on her back a half a second longer than necessary.

I raise an eyebrow, but refrain from saying anything.

Siori turns her head, mumbling, "You can let go now."

Pink dots his face again. He pulls back his hand, murmuring, "Right."

I roll my eyes and sigh, leaving the two of them. Spotting Mikomi lying sprawled out beside Tenten and Rock Lee, I jog over to them. I place a hand gingerly on her back, flowing a bit of my chakra through her body.

Sleepily, she opens her eyes, a faint smile forming on her lips. "Hey, you're awake."

I smile back at her, nodding.

She takes a deep breath, pulling herself up on her knees. Her body looks drained.

"Did you perform the lotus?" I ask quietly.

I can hear the shuffle of footsteps behind us.

"Yeah, but, it didn't do much good," she responds. Her tone is bitter, displaying her frustration.

"Clearly, you are a better ninja than I to have defeated them so easily, Sasuke."

I turn at Rock Lee's words to look back at the group. Sasuke stands a few steps away. His eyes flash in shock at Rock Lee's words.

"It's nothing like that Lee. Sasuke, he was just, more prepared to fight than you."

I know my words are meaningless, but Lee offers a smile of thanks anyway. "Of course."

"Hoshigaku."

I look behind me, hearing Hiroshi's familiar baratones. His fist smacks the back of my head, knocking me forward on my hands.

"Dammit!" I cry, reaching up to grip my head. "What the hell!"

"That's for being asleep during the fight," he screams, fist still raised.

I rise, gripping his shirt collar.

"You wanna go, pretty boy," I hiss.

I glance him over, finally realizing the dirt and scraps covering his body. I release his collar stepping back. "Who kicked your ass?"

A look of annoyance slices through his eyes.

"I could've beaten them," he mumbles, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Mikomi laughs. "Before or after you got your face pounded in the dirt."

"Shut up," he hisses, glaring at her. She merely sticks out her tongue at him.

"You're both annoying, you know that?" Ren says, walking beside Sasuke.

He nods a hello to Sasuke, who nods back in response.

"How you been, Uchiha?"

Sasuke doesn't reply, but rather cocks an eyebrow, glancing over at the group. Ren laughs, scratching the back of his head. "Right."

"Tenten, Lee, let's go," Neji orders from a nearby tree.

Tenten nods, slinging Lee's arm around her shoulder. "See you guys," she calls as her and Lee jump off.

Sakura runs over to us just as they disappear behind the trees. "Was that Lee? I wanted to thank him for helping us."

I glance over at her. "What happened to your hair?"

She glares down at me. "None of your business."

I raise an eyebrow in question, but don't say anything else.

Ren sighs. "We'd better go too."

Mikomi rises stiffly, her body still unrecovered from the lotus technique. Hiroshi, still grumbling, walks over to her, slinging her arm around his shoulders.

"Bye guys," Mikomi says, giving us a weak wave.

She, Hiroshi and Ren all take off without another word.

Siori jogs behind Miki, placing a hand on her shoulder to let Miki know she's behind her.

"So, what now?"

"We'll stick together for now," I state, daring anyone to contradict me.

"That's not a good idea," Sakura says. I notice she is hovering unusually close to Sasuke. "You're not on our team. How do we know we can trust you?"

"Are you kidding, pinky?" Miki asks, incredulous. "What reason would we have to attack you? We're just as weak as you are, not to mention we already have both scrolls. If anything, we're risking our necks staying with you guys."

"Either way, Sakura," Sasuke interjects, "it's best for all of us, in our weakened states to stick together."

He glances over at me, outstretching his hand. "Truce?"

I stand, clasping his hand in my own. "Until both of us recover our strength."

Electricity shoots up my arm at the touch of his fingers against mine. Our hands linger clasped together until Naruto jogs over, shouting, "Hey guys! What's going on?" A goofy grin slides on his face.

Sasuke and I retract our hands. He shoves his in his pockets as I clasp mine behind my back.

"Come on, let's get away from here."

I nod, following after him. The rest of our teams follow on our heels.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And finally, they kiss. Took them long enough...**

**Not much to say in this note. I hope you enjoyed it! As always, review please! I'll write in a one shot of your choice for the next person to review! :D**

**With love,**

**Ary**


	10. Chapter 10: Confusion

_Akina_

"What'd you do to piss her off?" Siori asks after Sakura shoots me a fourth death glare from the last two hours.

I shrug, standing up. "Hell if I know. I'm gonna go find Sasuke and Naruto, or something."

She nods, poking the fire with a stick.

I walk past Miki's sprawled out form. She fell asleep almost immediately after Siori set her down, exhausted from the exertion on her body. I follow downstream, side stepping past Naruto and Sasuke until I'm far enough away I can't hear their bickering. I kick off my shoes and pull off my dress, diving into the stream.

My hair flows freely around me. _Damn, I need to find a new hair tie._

I rise up my hand, grabbing the object coming at me before it has a chance to impact. Glancing down at my hand, I see it's a black hair tie.

"Thought you could use that."

I glance over at Sasuke. He's standing on the edge of the stream a few feet away from my clothes, hands shoved in his pockets.

"Yeah, thanks."

I turn away from him, pulling up my hair into its usual messy bun.

I hear the splash of water behind me.

Turning, I come face to face with Sasuke as he wades in the water in front of me, black hair clinging to his face. I take in the muscles on his arms and chest, more than impressed with their shape.

"Why did you kiss me," he finally asks, eyes locked with mine.

I'm thrown off by his question. _Why did I kiss him? I don't know, I just reacted, but I can't tell him that. He'll never let me live it down._

"I don't know," I say simply.

He snorts, back stroking away from me.

"What?" I glare at him.

A smile tips at the corner of his lips. "You're something else."

"I don't have to listen to this."

I begin to make my way back to the bank when he grabs my hand, pulling me back to him.

"Why can't you just admit you wanted to kiss me?"

I scoff, pushing water into his face. "Are you kidding me? Who would want to kiss you?" The words feel forced as they leave my lips.

I'm hyper-aware of the warmth I feel with his palm pressed against mine. His thumb gently strokes the outside of my hand, massaging little circles into the skin.

He pulls me forward again, pressing my chest against his own. Leaning down in my ear, he murmurs, "Because I wanted you to kiss me."

I swivel my head sharply, trying to look at him, only to feel his mouth cover my own. His kiss is soft at first, as if he's waiting for me to push him away. When I don't, he pulls me in deeper, fingers locking in my hair. The intensity of our kiss sends my stomach rolling, lighting my world on fire. I feel empty when his tongue leaves mine; when his lips retract from my own.

He says nothing to me, merely smiling before he releases my hand and wades out of the water.

"What was that?" I yell after him.

He shrugs, his face betraying nothing and slides on his shirt and shoes, leaving me floating alone in the water. I hit it out of frustration, mad that I let him get under my skin.

"Asshole," I grumble as I make my way to the bank. I pull myself out, slipping back into my clothes and make my way back to the small campsite.

Miki groggily rises at my approach, eyes warily scanning the area.

"Where's Akina?" she asks, rubbing her eyes.

"Behind you."

I step over her, walking past Siori as well. "Let's go," I say, not bothering to look back.

Without question, the two of the rise up, Siori offering a weak, "See you around."

"Hoshigaku."

I freeze as my name leaves Sasuke's enticing lips. _Oh, hell,_ I groan internally. _When did I start thinking like this?_

"What?" I grumble, stomping my foot as I turn to face him.

"Thanks," he says softly, a hint of a smile teasing his face.

I glare at him, my pride too hurt to even accept his thanks.

"Whatever."

I stalk off before he has the chance to say anything else.

Miki bumps my shoulder as we leave their sight. When I glance over at her, she has a wryly grin on her face.

"Don't even start with me," I warn, glaring at her.

"Aw, did you and Sasuke have a lover's quarrel?"

Siori pokes my side, the same goofy grin as my sister's set on her face.

"Shut up," I groan, rolling my eyes. "It's nothing like that. Sasuke and I are friends, period. End of freaking discussion."

"Yeah, 'cause I shove my tongue down my friends throats too." The sarcasm dripping in Miki's words just works to agitate me even more.

"Can we just get to the tower?" I take off, annoyed, hearing Siori and Miki's shared laughter behind me.

It doesn't take us long to reach the tower after that. My annoyed state makes me run even faster, and Miki and Siori know better than to taunt me at this point. With her Joukai active, Miki is able to spot the enemies that lie in waiting by the tower, allowing us to move around them.

I jump down in front of our door, waiting until the soft thump of Miki and Siori's footsteps touch down before opening it. The door opens into a giant room, adorned with mostly blank white walls. A giant scroll is mounted at the far end of it, words written in black ink.

My eyes scan over it briefly before I turn back to Miki and Siori.

"Open it."

Siori raises an eyebrow in question. "Just like that?"

I nod. "Just like that."

Miki sighs, pulling out both scrolls, handing one to Siori. "I hope you're right about this, Akina."

I plop down, closing my eyes and crossing my legs underneath me. I hear the crack of paper as they break the seal on the scrolls, letting them stream open on the floor. Opening my eyes when I hear a pop, I try to see through the smoke filling the room.

"Very good, you three."

A smile breaks across my face.

"Keiko!" Siori shouts gleefully as Keiko's slender form comes into view.

She smiles at us, her choppy earth brown bob shaking slightly.

"Congratulations on passing the second stage of the Chuunin Exams."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ahh, love is in the air...or something like that.**

**I hope this answers the question posed by one of my reviewers as to who kissed Sasuke. **

**Now, speaking of you wonderful people, Je suis tres hereuse! Because I ask for 1 review and I get 6. Which makes me so so happy. **

**So, as promised, _2lazy2thinkofaname _and _Alloreheartsyaoi _if you so desire, please send me a PM with the following information:**

**Pairing (Yaoi is okay.)**

**Anime/Manga (I'd be best at Naruto, Yu Yu Hakusho, Blood +, Final Fantasy VII, Angel Beats, Fruits Basket, Trinity Blood, and Vampire Knight off the top of my head. But I'm willing to do a little research if necessary.)**

**Universe (Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe, etc.)**

**Any other extra things you'd like to be added**

**Depending on when I receive those I will try to have them both posted by the end of whatever week. Until then please keep reviewing! Review number 10 gets a SURPRISE! (i.e. their own oneshot!)**

**With love,**

**Ary**


	11. Chapter 11: Arguing with Myself

_Akina_

"Feel free to rest here," Keiko tells us, ushering us into a room with the other ninja who have already passed the second stage.

I raise my hand, waving over to Ren, Hiroshi and Mikomi. Mikomi offers a weak, but still enthusiastic wave back.

"She must still be drained from the Lotus technique," Miki comments from behind.

I nod, replying, "Let's go see how she's doing."

As I move to step forward, pain shoots from my neck, biting into my body. I reach up, gripping my neck and stop for a moment to prevent myself from stumbling.

"Akina?"

I feel Siori's hand touch my shoulder.

"I'm fine," I say, forcing the shake out of my voice.

I smile slightly to reassure her. "You go on. I'll be over in a minute."

Siori nods, a worried look still on her face and continues on.

"Is it the mark?" I glance back at Miki.

"It's nothing," I say.

She shakes her head, not buying my act at all. I open my mouth to stay something when the pain flares up again, more intense this time. I bit my tongue to prevent from screaming, falling to my knees in pain.

"Akina, please, tell someone. They can help you."

"No," I hiss, glaring at her. "Don't you dare. It's nothing, I already told you. It'll go away in a bit."

She is hurt by my words; I can see that in her eyes. None the less, she takes my hand, helping me back to my feet. I dig my nails into the flesh on my shoulder, willing the pain to stop as we make our way over to Ren, Hiroshi and Mikomi.

"You okay, Akina?" Ren asks, eyes locked on the hand still gripping my shoulder.

I nod, smiling, and pull back my hand. "Never been better. Did you guys make it here a while ago?"

Hiroshi nods, leaning back against the wall.

"Yeah, and then they threw us in here. Needless to say, the reception isn't very friendly."

I glance around at the other ninja who are, at the moment, glaring at us.

"Bunch of hardasses, that's all," Mikomi says bitterly.

Siori giggles quietly at her comment.

I sit down beside Hiroshi, crossing my legs.

"What now?" Siori asks, glancing over at Ren.

He shrugs, replying, "Don't know. They told us to wait here until further notice. I assume they're waiting until the five days are up before they start the third stage."

Miki lets out an impatient huff, plopping down on the floor, irritated.

"Great, so what are we supposed to do until then?"

"Rest, regain your strength. Something tells me we're gonna need it for the next stage."

I glance over at Hiroshi. "That a premonition?"

"I'm just saying," he responds.

I roll my eyes obviously at him before closing them.

I begin to drift off again when pain rips through my body, nearly causing me to fall off the bench. I grip my neck, planting my feet and forcing myself not to shake.

_Where the hell are all these flare ups coming from?_

I breathe in and out deeply, waiting until the pain subsides. I know Miki and the others are staring at me, but I don't dare open my eyes.

Slowly, the pain abates, allowing me to pull back my hand. I lean back against the wall again, letting myself drift off to sleep.

* * *

><p>"Hello, Akina."<p>

I open my eyes, glancing in the direction of the voice. A familiar woman stands a few feet away from me. Her long black hair is pulled into a loose ponytail behind her, the tips of it just barely avoiding scraping the ground. Black, intricate tattoos adorn her body, their origins appearing to start from her back. She wears a loose fitting asymmetrical black suit, with holes ripped in various places. Her eyes, completely black, revere me with indifference.

"Hello, Yami."

I rise to my feet, my height a few significant inches shorter than hers.

"How is the outside world?" she asks politely, eyes never leaving mine.

"Right now, it seems like everywhere I go pain racks my body. You mind explaining?"

She smiles at me, but only with her lips. "That was the bargain you made with me, remember? I granted you access into that boy's soul in exchange that you accept being linked with his curse. Now, my dear, whatever pain he feels from it, you shall as well."

"That's dirty, Yami. You didn't explain that to me."

Her laughter is emotionless.

"Child, I would have gladly taken the time to explain it had you not been in such a hurry. You know as well as I that I am incapable of playing 'dirty.' I have no emotions, I harbor no ill will towards you. In fact, it is because of you, my dear, that I am able to feel at all. What benefit do I gain from tricking you?"

I grit my teeth, frustrated by her logic.

"You are upset with me."

Knowing it's not a question, I nod anyway.

She doesn't say anything else. The two of us stand there for a while, neither of us saying anything, but rather stand quietly, studying one another.

"Do you love this boy?" she finally asks.

I'm thrown off by her question.

"What? No! Sasuke and I are just friends," I stammer, feeling the blood rush to my cheeks. "Bonding your soul to a curse mark is a high price to pay for a friend."

"I've known him forever. I couldn't just let him suffer like that," I explain, dropping my gaze from her eyes.

She laughs again, the infliction still missing from her voice.

"Of course, my apologizes." A pause. "I do believe it's time for us to part."

She offers me one final smile. "Use my eyes well, farewell."

With that, I am jolted awake.

* * *

><p>"Akina," Miki says, shaking me slightly. "Come on, it's time to go."<p>

I open my eyes, looking groggily over to her.

"How long have I been asleep?" I ask.

"About a day," she replies.

There is a faint smile on her face, but her eyes betray it. "They're about to start the third exam. We need to go catch up with Siori."

I nod, rising to my feet to follow her. I make it in line behind Siori when the pain in my neck flares up again. I grip it, glancing over at Sasuke who is doing the same. His eyes lock with mine, a glare crossing his face.

I glare back at him. _What's his problem?_

"Okay, listen up maggots! Lord Hokage has something he wants to say." Anko turns back to the Hokage, nodding respectfully.

I'm vaguely aware of what the Hokage is saying as he dives into an obviously well-rehearsed monologue. I keep taking sideways glances at Sasuke, wondering why his curse mark is flaring up so much. I'm jolted back to the speech when the Hokage stops speaking.

Another ninja has appeared, his coughing filling the room full of noise.

"Lord Hokage, if you will," he begins, having to stop to cough into his sleeve. "Allow me, Hayate Gekkou, to speak."

The Hokage nods slightly.

"I regret to inform you that we need to have a preliminary round to the Chuunin Exams before the third stage. It seems more recruits than expected were able to pass. Since a lot of very important people come to watch these matches, we need to weed out the boring matches now, so as not to waste their time."

I make it a point to look over at Sakura, who glares at me in response.

"If you all look over to the computer monitored on the wall, you'll see two names appear. When your name appears, please make your way down here. Any questions?"

No one raises their hand.

"Well then, without any further interruptions, the first two opponents are," he pauses, waiting for the names to appear. "Sasuke Uchiha versus Yoroi Akadou. Will those two competitors please step forward? The rest of you, make your way up to the balconies above the ring."

I glance over at Sasuke once more before Miki pushes me forward.

"Come on," she whispers.

I trail after Siori, smiling at Ayame when we see her standing at the top of the balcony.

Ayame returns my smile. "Hello girls, congratulations on making it this far."

"Akina, pleasure to hear your voice, as always."

I glance around Ayame, eyes locking with the jounin kunoichi's blank stare.

"It's been a while, Kohana," Miki says, a smile on her face.

"I agree," a deep male voice says from behind.

"Satoshi, I see your team made it as well," Ayame comments, the smile still on her face.

Hiroshi grumbles behind Satoshi's back, leaning back against the wall to watch the match. I do the same, leaning against the railing.

Sasuke is standing opposite Yoroi, a smirk parting his lips. I flinch at the same time he does, pain shooting through my body.

_How are you gonna pull this off, Uchiha,_ I think, gripping the railing as another wave of pain courses through my body.

"If you're both ready, begin," Hayate calls, throwing down his arm.

Yoroi reaches into his weapon pouch, pulling out shruiken and throwing them towards Sasuke. Sasuke retaliates by pulling out his own kunai, blocking the shruiken. He moves to go after Yoroi. I grip the rail tighter as pain rips through my body again, nearly bringing me to my knees.

A hand presses against my back gently.

"Akina, what's wrong?" Ayame asks, her soft green eyes staring at me with concern.

"It's nothing," I whisper through gritted teeth.

I turn my head sharply back to the match as I hear Sasuke scream. Yoroi is on top of him now, his hand pressed against Sasuke's forehead.

_Dammit, Sasuke! Get up!_

He struggles to push Yoroi off, grunting from the effort. Finally, he manages to push him off with a kick to the stomach.

"Get off me!"

Yoroi falls to the ground a few feet away, rising up shortly after. Sasuke struggles to lift himself, his body shaking from the effort.

"So," Yoroi says, "you've still got some strength left, huh? I must say I'm impressed. Too bad you won't stay that way."

Sasuke rises fully to his feet, panting heavily at the effort. Yoroi lunges for him, arm outstretched. Sasuke manages to dodge Yoroi's assaults, barely slipping past him. He staggers away from him, forcing his body to throw a kick that Yoroi is easily able to dodge.

Yoroi stays back from Sasuke, eyeing him carefully.

"Come on, Sasuke," Naruto shouts, agitation evident in his voice. "You call yourself an Uchiha!"

He glances back at Naruto for a moment, then his eyes flash as he comes to a realization.

_What are you planning? _

"I'll teach you to turn your back to me," Yoroi roars, charging after Sasuke.

Sasuke pivots, dodging each of Yoroi's strikes until, suddenly, he disappears. He moves in front of Yoroi, delivering a powerful kick to his chin.

"The Lotus!"

Mikomi has her hands pressed against the railing now, leaning against it in disbelief.

Sasuke ascends into the air after Yoroi, coming up behind him and placing his fingers against the center of his back.

I feel it the second it hits.

The pain alone is enough to force me to my hands and knees, gasping for air. I claw my nails against the tiled floor, clamping my eyes shut as the unbearable pain racks my body. The curse mark snakes its way up my skin, covering half my face. I don't need to look to know Sasuke is feeling the same thing as I.

"Akina, if you don't stand up you're going to miss the fight."

I hadn't noticed Miki's presence until she spoke. Her hand is on my shoulder, eyes radiating the same amount of pain as what I feel. I glance down at my hands, noticing the marks are not visible.

"Miki," I whisper, fearing my voice may break.

_She's coursing her chakra over my body, to stop the marks from being shown_.

I punch my fist against the floor.

_Alright, Uchiha, this thing is getting off my body. Now!_

I open my eyes, rising to my feet.

The pain recedes, flowing back into the seal on my neck. I look up just in time to see the smirk return to Sasuke's face. He glances down at me, nodding slightly. I hold out my thumb, pointing it down.

"Finish him."

He does just that, sending a series of punches to Yoroi, finishing him off with a drop kick to the stomach. Sasuke slides to a stop a few feet away from him, rolling over himself onto his face.

Silence fills the arena as we wait for one of them to move.

Finally, Sasuke rises up to a sitting position, panting heavily. He reaches up, wiping the blood off his mouth.

Hayate glances over at him, sighing. "I'm declaring this match officially over," he announces. "As the winner of this match, Sasuke Uchiha advances onto the finals."

I sigh, crossing my arms and smiling approvingly at him. _Way to go, Uchiha._

He begins to fall backwards when Kakashi appears behind him, propping him up with his knee.

Kakashi glances up at me, eye locking with my own. I stare back with the same intensity, refusing to flinch away. He smiles at me from behind his mask, turning his attention back to Sasuke.

The medics rush in, putting Yoroi onto a stretcher. One of them walks to Sasuke as they go by, asking that he follow them to the infirmary.

"You're out of your league with this one," Kakashi says, laying a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Come on, Sasuke. Up you go."

He leans down to whisper something else in Sasuke's ear.

"Before the preliminaries are over?" Sasuke asks in dismay. "I wanna see who goes on to the finals."

Kakashi opens his mouth to say something else when two more names appear on the screen.

"The next match will be between Akina Hoshigaku and Hiroshi Yokomoru. If the two of you will please make your way to the arena," Hayate calls.

"Alright," Kakashi says. "We'll stay, just for this match."

_He knows._

I grip the railing tighter, gritting my teeth.

"Let's go, Hoshigaku."

I look over at Hiroshi who is already standing in the center of the ring, smirking up at me.

"I've waited a long time for this fight. Don't you dare think I'm gonna let you get out of it now."

I feel Ayame's hand on the small of my back.

"Go," she whispers, giving me a little push forward.

I sigh, making my way down the stairs, crossing by Sasuke and Kakashi as I do so.

"Good luck," Kakashi says, the smile on his face implied in his tone.

Sasuke says nothing to me, merely locking his gaze with mine, a smile teasing the corner of his lips.

I pull my gaze away first, continuing on my way until I stand opposite Hiroshi.

"This is gonna be fun," he says, a smirk smeared across his face.

Hayate looks us both over. "Ready? Begin."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Here's yet another chapter!**

**I'm rather ambivalent about this chapter. I like it some places, I feel some places could be better...hmmm..such a conundrum.**

**So, I began writing a dedication fanfic, and it's nearly complete. I actually really like the direction of the story. Look forward to it. It'll be titled "A Game of Cat and Mouse" (Guess what anime its from?)**

**Please, read and review! I'll give you cookies and a fanfic if you're the tenth reviewer. (Well...maybe just a fanfic)**

**With love, **

**Ary**


	12. Chapter 12: Between Love and Hate

Akina

Hiroshi wastes no time, pulling several kunai from his weapon holster and flinging them at me.

I dash to the left, forming handsigns as he chases after me. But, as I begin to focus my chakra pain shoots through my body, causing me to stumble.

_What the hell?_

I roll, narrowly avoiding Hiroshi's fist as it slams into the floor.

Pushing off the ground I roll back onto my feet, receiving an onslaught of kunai's to my abdomen as I do so. Before I have time to react, Hiroshi moves in front of me, delivering a bone crushing kick to my stomach.

I'm vaulted back against the wall of the arena, my head impacting hard against the concrete. Falling to my knees, I slump foreword on my hands, coughing up blood.

"That it, Hoshigaku? I was really expecting more."

I smirk, reaching up to wipe the blood from my lips as I rise to my feet.

"That's your first problem. You expect too much. You should really learn to lower your expectations, you may find you become a little more surprised by any effort. Like my expectations of you, for example."

That was I low blow, and I knew it, but it achieved the effect that I wanted.

Furious, Hiroshi makes a blind charge for me. I surge forward, matching his speed with little effort and deliver a vengeful kick of my own to his chin, followed by a blow to the side of his head.

He staggers sideways, gripping his head in pain. Curse words spew from him lips as his nails dig into the flesh covering his skull.

"Shit, that hurts!"

I perform handsigns again, pressing my fingers against the floor as I focus my chakra. My body screams in protest, my own lightning turning against me.

I hear the scream that falls from my lips as the pulsing black streaks set my skin and veins on fire.

_What is going on?_ I think, slumping forward to avoid toppling over.

Suddenly, I'm fully aware of the gnawing pain in my neck. I reach up, gripping the flesh around the burning mark on my neck.

_But, why? It should be gone. Sasuke got it under control, if I'm linked to this thing then… _I feel my blood freeze as the realization dawns on me.

_You'__ve got to be fucking kidding me!_ I think, smashing my teeth together.

"What's wrong, Hoshigaku? Did you finally realize you have no hope of beating me?" Hiroshi sneers, flexing his jaw.

A sarcastic snort escapes my lips. "You only wish that were true."

I wince as pain shoots through my body again, black tendrils shaking out to singe the edge of my clothing.

"Sure I do. Give it up, you've had enough."

He charges forward, throwing another punch at me. I move to dodge, only to have his opposite fist slam into my stomach. Pain rockets through my body as spikes stab into my flesh. I glance down as he pulls his hand back and spot the spikes his now has attached to his knuckles.

Staggering backwards, I grip my stomach as blood trickles through my fingers. I flip backward, narrowly avoiding another swing of his fists. His onslaught of punches continues.

I'm barely able to keep up, my dodging abilities getting sloppier with each movement I make. _Damn it,_ I think as my vision begins to blur. _I'm losing too much blood. Any more of this and I'll pass out_.

He tries for another uppercut, and I roll backwards on my hands in response. This time however, instead of completing the flip I catch him off guard, wrapping my legs around his neck.

I swivel on my hands, pulling him off his feet. He barrels towards the wall. I go to follow him when pain sears through my body once more.

_No, you will not win!_

Almost immediately the pain recedes, giving me enough time to dash after Hiroshi, and beat him to the wall in time to deliver a powerful drop kick to his head. His body slams into the ground, leaving a crater in the tiles behind his head.

He is out cold.

"The winner of this match is Akina Hoshigaku."

I stumble forward over Hiroshi's unconscious form, fighting off the dizziness that threatens to send me into darkness. Two arms wrap around me as I begin to collapse, gently lowering me to the ground.

"It's alright, I've got you."

I look up, hearing Kakashi's familiar voice. Gently, he picks me up, cradling me in his arms.

"Put me down," I protest weakly.

He grunts in response. I see him nod to Ayame shortly before he leaves the closed in arena.

Sasuke is waiting for us outside, his hand gripping the place of the curse mark on his neck. I'm faintly aware of the pain in my own neck. I laugh slightly at that thought.

"It looks like she's losing a lot of blood," Sasuke comments. His voice holds a hint of concern.

"There's nothing we can do about that right now. These marks have to be sealed."

I can feel the warm liquid that is my blood trickling down my arms, spotting the droplets on the white tiles as we walk by.

"My throat is dry," I whisper. The weakness in my voice surprises me.

"Shush," Kakashi says softly in response. I want to say something more, but my mouth can't seem to form the words. I feel my hand slip from its grip on Kakashi's shirt a split second before I sink into oblivion.

"Back so soon?"

I look over to Yami, who is sitting on a raised stone in the middle of a slowly flowing stream. Her long black hair is flung over her shoulder in a long, single braid.

"This isn't the place you usually bring me to," I comment, standing up and glancing around.

We are inside a meek grove, greenery blooming all around us.

"Yes, well you've never given me this much control before. I suppose being on the brink of death opens new possibilities."

Somehow, I'm not all that surprised by her words.

"So I'm going to die?"

She shakes her head, her indifferent smile coming on her face.

"No, I won't allow that, I assure you. It isn't yet your time to die."

"Then why bring me here?"

She outstretches her hand. "To do this."

The pain that racks my body is overwhelming. A scream tears from my lips as my eyes fly open.

"Blow them out!" I scream as the light from even the dim candles burns my retinas fiercely.

I cross my arms over my eyes in an effort to shield them. I can feel the black tendrils of lightning searing into the skin on my neck, making their mark around the cursed tattoo that's already there.

Slowly, the candlelight disappears, and I'm immersed in complete darkness. My eyes still burn from the pain and tear violently.

I feel two hands grip my shoulders, then pull me forward, smashing me into their embrace. Sasuke's musky scent wafts into my nose.

"It's alright," he murmurs, rocking me softly.

I grip onto him, my fingers feeling stiff and foreign as they clench onto his blue shirt.

"Akina, breathe."

Kakashi is kneeling behind me, hands cupping the side of my face as he flows his chakra throughout my body. I do as he says, taking big gulps of air with each inhale.

"Now slowly, release your chakra."

I close my eyes, willing the explosion of chakra away from them. Timidly, I feel it flinch away, and I'm able to open my eyes again.

"Okay."

Kakashi pulls his hands away, stepping away. "I'll relight the candles then."

I wait for Sasuke to release me, but he doesn't.

"I'm alright now, Sasuke. You can let go."

Kakashi manages to light the candle nearest to us, giving himself a little light. I look up at Sasuke, shocked at the intensity with which he stares down at me.

"What?" I stammer out, trying to laugh off my bewilderment.

He releases me finally, standing up to help Kakashi with the candles.

I reach up, habitually and grip my neck, though it no longer pains me. _What the hell was that?_

My body suddenly feels exhausted, causing me to slump back against the wall. I glance down at my torso, my hair drifting in my face and am shocked to see that many of my wounds have already closed over.

_Yami,_ I rationalize.

A hand reaches over, gently brushing the hair from my face. I recognize Sasuke's touch as soon as his fingers make contact with my skin.

He moves beside me, watching Kakashi as he methodically marks the floor.

"Sleep," he tells me.

My eyelids feel heavy.

I lean my head over, resting it on his shoulder.

"Is this alright?" I ask.

He grunts, the typical male response for 'do what you will.'

I feel the heat from the proximity of his hand to mine. Slowly, I inch my fingers towards his, my hands drawn to the soft warmth of his touch.

Before I have to say anything, his hand closes over my own. I can hear the soft rumble of the chuckle in his throat.

I smile, closing my eyes and drifting off the sleep with the thought of how good his hand feels in my own.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This is by far one of my favorite chapters, mostly because I like writing Yami. Putting emotion behind a character that has none is a challenge that I like trying to figure out.**

**Oh, and if the match between Hiroshi and Akina seemed like it ended fast, that's because it was supposed to. Hiroshi and Akina are in no way on the same level, especially since Hiroshi took a beating recently. But with the curse seal interfering things are slightly more difficult for her.**

**As always, read and review. If you liked this, check out the new Fruits Basket oneshot I posted in honor of Alloreheartsyaoi! 10th reviewer gets their own oneshot!**

**As always,**

**Ary**


	13. Chapter 13: Behind Closed Doors

_Miki_

Kakashi returned shortly after the match between Sakura and Ino ended.

The match had been, dry to say the least, the result ending in both of their defeats. The ending was predictable.

'Weak.' Miki could picture her sister gazing out at the scene, shaking her head. 'Dumb and weak.'

_Akina, you'd better be alright._

Ren walks behind me, lightly tapping my shoulder. "Don't look so concerned. It is Akina we're talking about after all. That idiot could fox her way out of death blindfolded."

I glance away, resting my chin on folded arms.

"Stop with the creepy mind thing, Ren. You know I hate it when you do that."

He chuckles, leaning forward on the railing.

"Of course you do."

"The next match will be between Siori Takato and Shikamaru Nara. Please make your way to the arena," the prompter shouts.

"Wish me luck," Siori breathes, turning away.

"Knock 'em dead," I whisper as she passes by.

She gives me a small smile before continuing forward. Shikamaru lazily drags his feet to the center of the arena, an annoyed look on his face.

I watch for a few moments as the match begins, following Siori's movements as she launches a series of kunai at him.

Suddenly, my vision begins to fog.

I lean forward against the railing for more support, raising an arm to rub my eyes.

_What the hell's with me?_

Ren notices my peculiar behavior.

"Are you okay, Miki?"

I attempt to nod, but my head feels stiff and heavy. Before I know it, I'm on the floor of the balcony, Ayame and Ren hovering over me worriedly. Outstretching my fingers, I try to pull myself up, but to no avail.

_What's going on?_

**Calm yourself, my dear. **

At the sound of that velvety voice ringing in my ears I intake a sharp breath. I'm vaguely aware of someone shaking me and gently whispering my name in an attempt to wake me.

_I've got to get up. I'm in the Chuunin Exams right now,_ I remind myself.

**They can wait, of that I assure you. Join me for a few moments. It will not take long. **

I let out a long sigh, taking away the tension from my body.

_Just for a little while then._

I allow myself to slip into the realm of unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>She is waiting for my on the edge of a dock, her long white hair flowing freely around her body.<p>

"See? That wasn't so bad," she says, a playful tone in her voice.

I stare back at her with indifference.

"What do you want?" There is absolutely to intonation or feeling in my words.

"Are you asking because you're curious?"

A cerulean blue eye tilts back to meet my gaze. I blink with deliberate slowness.

"I would be laughing right now if I were capable of such things."

A smile breaks across her face, her own laughter filling the air. Raising from her spot, she walks over to me, placing a hand on my cheek.

"You are a curiosity to me, my lovely. To be born without emotion, how different that must be."

The silver tattoos covering her skin glow slightly from her contact with my flesh.

"It is merely a state of being. What do you want, Hikari?" I repeat again, reaching up to politely remove her hand.

She merely smiles at me again, turning away from me.

"I can sense something," she begins, her voice nearly inaudible. "Even as we speak I keep receiving incoherent pictures of the future. They feelings behind them are far too muddled."

"I suppose you want me to sort through them then."

She shakes her head, staring out at seemingly nothing.

"No, I want you to be careful. The one thing that I can understand is that death lies in the near future. And it will be close to your heart."

I blink once again, following her with my eyes as she paces, frustrated.

"Someone like my sister, then?"

She bites her lip, closing her eyes and rubbing her temple.

"No, it's not her…specifically anyway. There's more of a blanket feeling now."

I watch her as she stands there, trying to sort through the emotions running through her head.

"I just don't know!" she cries at last, gritting her teeth in frustration.

She walks over, sitting back down on the edge of the dock and stares out over the water. "Is it your own death that I'm sensing? Is that why things are so muddled?"

To her question, I make no response.

"Why do you say nothing? Do you not fear your own death?"

"I cannot. Remember," I reply.

She sighs, a sad smile coming to her face. "I regret that I shared my emotions with you then. You will soon know the fear of death."

She outstretches her hand to me.

"Come. I have said what I need to say. It is time for you to return."

I step forward, placing my hand against her. Warmth spreads through my body, starting from the palm of my hand.

I close my eyes, smiling gently. "You're wrong. I won't fear death, because death is where my mother waits for me."

She smiles, leaning forward to kiss my forehead.

"Yes, my dear."

* * *

><p>Regaining consciousness, I lift myself into a sitting position, gasping for air.<p>

_Damn, I hate that!_ I think, rubbing my sore back.

"Miki, are you alright?"Ayame asks, staring at me curiously.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It was just my anemia."

Siori stands against the railing, looking beaten and angry.

"Did she lose?" I whisper, glancing over at Ayame.

She nods, pressing her lips together. She studies me carefully, taking in the state of my body.

"Are you sure you're okay to fight?" She asks finally, looking slightly skeptical.

I nod, flipping up to reassure her.

"I'm fine see? Never been better!"

I stretch out my limbs just to prove the point.

"That's good then," Ren says, walking up behind me.

He points to the computer. "You're next."

I turn back, eyeing him. "Don't tell me I missed your match too?"

He shrugs, tilting his lips up in a sort of half smile as if to say 'what can you do?'

"At least I won."

I smile in response, gripping the edge of the railing.

"Well I can't very well let the Hoshigaku name down, now can I?"

I flip over the edge, landing on the floor with a soft thud.

The sound kuniochi from before walks to the center of the stage, standing opposite me.

"You're gonna pay for what you did," she growls.

I roll my eyes. "_I'm_ not the one that did anything to you," I point out.

Her glare at me intensifies at my words.

Hayate glances between the two of us. "I take it that means you're ready. Then begin."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The prelimins of the 2nd stage are almost over! Yay! Which means sadly that Twilights Angels will be ending soon as well...**

**But have no fear, because a sequel is here! I started writing it a while ago, and I absolutely love the first few chapters. So look forward to the end and new beginning of this story!**

**Now, I hurried to post this chapter, because I realized I didn't take into account you lovely people that favorited and even added my story to your alert list! So, to make up for that, as a special thank you, I'm willing to write the following people a oneshot: _A Weird Production, LoneWolfPack, sayuri'suzanna'inuzuka4ever, The Black Rain, Monster Cookie, KuramaMustangElric, LadyDraconisia, BookWorm2534, EEAMR, ShinobiStar, Inuhana, NamiMakimono, Rawar17, and SilenceXSoul. _**

**Now obviously, just because of the sheer number of people, releases are going to take a while. But, I'll release stories in the order that I receive contact. Include the following in your PM:**

**Pairing (Yaoi is okay.)**

**Anime/Manga (I'd be best at Naruto, Yu Yu Hakusho, Blood +, Final Fantasy VII, Angel Beats, Fruits Basket, Trinity Blood, and Vampire Knight off the top of my head. But I'm willing to do a little research if necessary.)**

**Universe (Present, Alternate Universe, etc.)**

**Any other extra things you'd like to be added**

**10th reviewer, alert and favorite gets a oneshot from now on to show my appreciation! I hope to hear from you soon!**

**With love,**

**Ary**


	14. Chapter 14: Inside the Darkness

_Miki_

I draw a kunai, ready to defend myself from her first strike when a form moves in front of me.

"Forgive me, Hayate," the silver haired jounin apologizes, "but may I have a word with Miki?"

Hayate eyes Kakashi for a moment before nodding.

"You've got five minutes."

Kakashi smiles from behind his mask in response. "That's plenty of time."

He turns, placing a hand on the small of my back and ushering me to the side.

"Forfeit this match, Miki."

I pull away from him, staring at him incredulously.

"No! Why would I do that?"

"Because this is getting too dangerous for you now." He lowers his voice. "You just spoke with Hikari, didn't you? What did she say?"

"It's none of your business or concern. My mother may have entrusted us to you, but you are not my _father_."

Words cannot describe the look of pain that crosses his face because of my words. I immediately want to take them back, but he doesn't give me the chance.

"You're right," he says, a forced smile entering in his tone. "I trust you, Miki."

He turns back to Hayake, raising a hand of atonement.

"Everything's alright now. Sorry to interrupt."

He leaves the arena, moving to stand back beside Sakura and Naruto.

I walk back to my original position nodding to Hayate.

"Begin when you're ready."

I draw a kunai as Kin launches an assault of senbon needles in my direction. I parry several with my kunai, rolling to avoid the remainder of them. I fail to notice one that is thrown late, and it strikes me in the back of my calf, nearly ripping through the bone.

I grunt in pain, reaching back to pull it out.

"Lucky shot," I grumble, wincing at the pain in my leg.

"There's plenty more where that came from." She smirks, throwing another barrage of senbon.

I parry several once more, flipping back to avoid another set when one strikes me in the shoulder blade.

_How the hell did I miss that? _

I grit my teeth, landing clumsily on the floor, gripping the wound around my shoulder. I reach up, ripping out the needle and tossing it to the floor.

She holds up five more in her hand, each with bells attached to them.

I smirk, finally realizing my mistake. _So that's it_.

She throws the senbon at me, aiming directly for my major organs. She stares dumbfounded when I make no attempt to move, becoming even more shocked when they all stab into my body.

I hold up a kunai to her throat, standing directly behind her. My clone dissipates into a puddle on the floor.

"You know," I tell her, pressing the kunai directly against her flesh. "You really shouldn't use the Shadow Senbon Technique on someone who's had to spar with her sister, who does it much better than you, her entire life."

I lift my foot, delivering a chakra powered side kick into her side. She slams into the wall to her left, several ribs breaking in the process, and is knocked out cold.

"Awesome job, Miki!" Mikomi shouts, smiling down at me.

I swivel to wave at her when nausea suddenly overtakes my body, forcing me to my knees.

_Oh hell, she poisoned the needles. _

I slump forward, fully prepared to hit the ground, only to instead feel something holding me up. I can tell it isn't human, but rather a substance.

* * *

><p><em>I've felt this before. What is it? <em>

My body sinks deeper into the substance before I fall into oblivion.

_Images course through my mind. _

_I see Gaara, fighting a green haired figure, nearly killing the boy at the end of the fight. _

_The only expression that dawns his face is that of sadistic pleasure. Somehow though, I don't find the expression frightening. _

_Those dead eyes turn to me, looking directly into my soul, daring me to look away. I refuse to. _

_His sand branches out from his body, encasing me inside it. I'm oddly comfortable inside my sand cocoon. _

"_Are you prepared to die?" he asks me. _

"_Yes," I respond._

* * *

><p>My eyes fly open, leaving me staring at the hospital wall.<p>

I turn my head to glance outside at the waxing moon, trying desperately to make sense of my dream. There is an IV in my arm, slowly pumping fluids into it. Somehow, I know my sister is resting in a nearby room, her presence giving me inexplicable comfort.

"You're awake."

I turn my head, my blue eyes meeting a single black one. I sit up, pressing my palm into my forehead to keep the room from spinning. An uncomfortable silence hangs in the air between us.

"I'm sorry for what I said," I say quietly. "About you not being my father. It was childish."

"Don't worry about it," he responds, leaning back against the wall.

We both stare in opposite directions, avoiding eye contact with one another.

"I'd better go check on your sister," he announces, turning to leave.

"She's not Mother, Kakashi."

His entire frame goes still.

"She looks like her, she even acts like her, but she isn't Reina. It's not fair to her, or me. I'm treated like a daughter, but her, you treat her like your companion." I gaze down at my thumbs, twiddling them together. "She's not Mother," I repeat again.

"You're right," he whispers, leaving the room.

I return my gaze to the window, staring out at the waxing moon, my entire body consumed by the darkness.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Miki is such a difficult character to write!**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this (rather short) chapter of Twilights Angels. I'm going to go ahead and post Chapter 15 too, just because I like it so much. But honestly, I skip over a lot of filler and training scenes, which I find pointless to write about (If you like those, I sincerely apologize). **

**I got 10 reviews! Which makes me very happy. Thank you to all of you who reviewed or added my story to your favorites/alerts.**

**With love,**

**Ary**


	15. Chapter 15: Telling the Truth

_Akina_

_Why the hell am I here of all places at one in the morning?_

I grit my teeth, reaching up to scratch the back of my head. My eyes trail over the gray door in front of me, reading the name Uchiha written neatly on the slot again and again. I wrap my arms around myself, shivering from the chill in the wind.

_Dammit, that's the last time I leave the house in the middle of the night in shorts and a T-shirt._

I've been standing in this spot for nearly five minutes, kicking figurative holes into the cement floor with my sandals.

I turn to leave, irritated by the whole situation, wondering why I even bothered to come out in the first place.

_Because I wanted to see him._

The thought is enough to stop me in my tracks.

Did I want to see the Uchiha? Yes, that had been made blaringly clear by my presence here now. Why did I want to see him though? I tell myself that it's because I'm worried about him.

I turn, balling my fingers into a fist and raising my hand, tapping on his door lightly.

_I'll just say I was walking by, and since I hadn't seen him since the preliminaries of the Chuunin Exams I thought I'd drop by. _

_Yes, because people normally stop by at 1 AM to say 'hi.' It's not some other underlying reason, like say, not being able to sleep because of the new moon. Not like ending up wandering around aimlessly in the middle of the night because of said problem. Genius, Akina, truly genius._

I'm cut off from my inward thoughts when the door opens slightly and an onyx eye peeks out from the crack.

"Hoshigaku?"

I stare at him, dumbfounded.

"What're you doing here?" he asks. His voice sounds tired with a hint of curiosity.

_At least he's not mad._

I open my mouth to deliver my lame excuse. What actually comes out of my mouth shocks even me.

"I thought you could use some company."

His eyes bore into my own, questioning my motives. I simply stare back, my expression never changing. He sighs, shutting the door in my face.

I stand there, blinking. _Well that certainly wasn't the reaction I expected_.

Irritated, I'm about to pound on his door again when I hear the click of a knob as the door handle is turned open. The door opens.

Sasuke stands inside the room, wearing a navy T-shirt and gray pants, leaning against the door and motioning me inside.

I oblige, walking inside the rather large apartment.

_This is the first time I've been into this place. His new home_, I think.

Weapons, presumably salvaged from the Uchiha compound, adorn the gray painted walls. A fireplace rests in the living room, dull flames licking up the insides of it.

The place is simply decorated. Maroon carpeted floors, a navy love seat and armchair, a stand table to the side of the sofa and a coffee table in the center.

"Tea?" he asks.

I turn to him, nodding. "Yes, please."

He walks behind me, into the kitchen.

Hearing the familiar clank of the metal as he finds the teapot, I kick off my shoes, walking over to the loveseat and plopping down.

Glancing around again, I notice the lack of photographs in the apartment. There isn't a single photo, not even of his family.

_Probably because they all have Itachi in them. _

I glance down at the floor.

"Do you like your tea sweet?"

I turn to look at him as he sets the cup down in front of me.

"No, a spoonful of honey is enough."

Pale fingers reach out, dropping the spoonful of honey into the cup and mixing it slightly. I narrow my eyes, smiling slightly.

"If you remembered why did you ask?"

He shrugs moving to sit down in the chair to the right of the loveseat.

I lift my legs onto the sofa, resting my back against the armrest. Both hands grip tightly onto the cup in them. We sit there for a few moments, leisurely sipping at the tea in our hands, neither one saying anything.

Finally, I break the silence. "You've been having nightmares again." It's not a question.

"I'm sleeping," he replies.

_You're not denying it. _

"It's not affecting my training."

_Liar. Your eyes are bloodshot. I could see that when you first made eye contact._

"I'm not a child. I don't need to be coddled."

_But you do need help. _

Of course, I say none of this. It would do absolutely no good anyway.

Instead, I counter with, "Who're you trying to convince more? Me or yourself?"

He says nothing.

"Was it Itachi this time? Fugaku? Moriko?"

I have no fear saying their names. He will not yell at me.

Again, he says nothing.

"It was the hospital then. Afterward." Again, it's not a question.

His silence confirms it.

We sit there, both at a loss for words again. I press my hands against the cup, tighter, drawing in its warmth.

"It's funny really. As shinobi, we rely on our hands for acts of violence, for bloodshed. Rarely do we use our hands to feel, like now. Can you feel the heat from your cup? Did you even notice it until now?"

I pull back a hand, examining it. "Weapons. Is that what they are reduced to now? Never knowing the feel of anything other than cold steel and warm blood?"

He chuckles slightly. "Where's this coming from?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Thinking aloud, I suppose." I pause for a moment. "Do you feel better?"

I feel a small tug on my hair and turn to see Sasuke gripping a lock of my hair gently in his fingertips.

"It's grown even longer," he comments, absentmindedly.

He raises his hand, gently pressing his lips against the brown strands in his hand.

"Thank you, Akina."

I smile, turning my head as he playfully runs his fingers through my hair.

"Of course, Sasuke."

We sit in silence, staring into the flames of the fire.

After a while, I stand, prepared to leave.

"I should get going."

I feel Sasuke's hands latch around my hair, yanking me back.

"It's late. You're sleeping here tonight."

I snatch my hair away, glaring at him.

"That hurt," I whine, rubbing my scalp.

He rolls his eyes, standing up. Turning to me, he outstretches his hand.

"What?" I ask, eyeing it curiously.

He stares at me incredulously, before shaking his head and reaching out to grip my hand in his.

"Stupid," he mumbles.

The warmth of his hand spreads throughout my body, sending tingles and twitches across my skin. I notice the direction in which he's taking me.

"Sasuke, I can sleep on the couch!"

"Shut up, idiot. I'm not gonna make you sleep on the couch."

He pulls me into his bedroom, collapsing on the bed and pulling me down with him. My face heats up as his arms wrap around me, one hand on the small of my back, the other resting on the back of my head, fingers threaded through my hair.

I blush furiously, pushing against his chest. "Sasuke, this is ridiculous. Come on, let me up."

He doesn't let up, but merely keeps his arms locked around me.

"Relax. I won't do anything. I'm not a pervert. I just want to sleep."

I look up at him. He moves his head down, pressing his lips against my forehead. I feel my face heat up again as I push against him more.

"I thought you said you weren't a pervert," I grumble.

The arms around me slacken and I hear the familiar sound of slowed breathing.

I sigh, snuggling closer to him, breathing in his scent. _Friggin' Uchihas,_ I think, smiling to myself slightly.

I shut my eyes and despite the new moon, I drift off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Daww, aren't they so cute!**

**Not much to say for this note. Please review, favorite, etc.!**

**As Always,**

**Ary**


	16. Chapter 16: Staying

**A/N: Author's note first this time? Say what?**

**Well it's official...I've struck my muse on this story, which means I'm be updating it ALOT over the next week. (Can't you already tell?) **

_**KuramaMustangElric: **_**Maybe I was too ambiguous, but in Chapter 14 Miki is having a dream about Gaara when she's in the hospital. In fact, he kills her in the dream *SPOILER ALERT* By the by, Kurama is my favorite anime/manga character of all time! **

**Don't forget! Those of you listed at the end of chapter 13 I think, if you would like a oneshot PM me ASAP. Otherwise I'm diving into Twilights Angels and not stopping tills it's finished.**

**Happy reading!**

**Ary**

* * *

><p><em>Akina<em>

The smell of frying eggs fills my nose as I stand over the hot stove, gently shaking the frying pan. I already have rice scooped out and set on the table, and miso soup waiting to be ladled out in a pot. I flip the eggs, letting them cook for a few seconds before sliding two each onto two separate plates.

Carrying those over to the table, I return back to the stove, pouring the miso into separate bowls. All that remains is the fish that is nearly finished frying on the grill top.

"What's all this?"

I turn, glancing back at a groggy eyed Sasuke as he looks hungrily at the spread of food.

"I thought you appreciate breakfast, since from what I remember your cooking skills are less than adequate."

I pull the fish onto two plates, bringing them over to the table and setting them down.

"You haven't eaten my cooking since we were eight."

"And, in case you forgot, I almost died!" I say sarcastically, giggling slightly.

I sit down opposite him, giggling when I hear him mumble, "I've gotten better," into his cup.

"What time are you supposed to meet Kakashi?"

He looks at me raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, my Ouji-san and I discuss things quite regularly."

He rolls his eyes, finishing the food in his mouth before answering.

"About two hours ago."

We look at one another, pausing for a moment.

"I'll still beat him there," he says the same time I say, "You'll be on time." Again, we look at each other, this time smiling in amusement.

I eat slowly, staring around the living room from the window in the kitchen wall.

"No pictures?" I ask, not looking in his direction. I instead continue to scan the room.

"No. No pictures."

"Liar." I glance at him out of the corner of my eye. "I saw the picture on your dresser."

I push away my finished plate, leaning forward to rest my chin on crossed fingers.

"Why did you ask then?" he retorts quietly.

An uncomfortable silence passes between us before I rise, pushing away from the table.

"I should go."

I shove a hand in my pocket, heading towards the door. His arms wrap around my waist, pulling me back against his chest before I even make it halfway across the living room.

I feel the blood rush to my face. "Sasuke—"

He squeezes harder, silencing me.

"Just stay. I don't care about anything else. Just don't leave me."

"Will you abandon it then?"

He pauses, arms slacking around my sides for a moment.

"Abandon what?"

"Your revenge. If I stay, will you let it go?"

He hesitates for a moment, stopping even breathing. I feel his arms slacken even more, falling back down to his sides.

"I can't do that."

I smile, closing my eyes. "I know, Sasuke. As shinobi, we can't deviate from our path, not for anything."

I shove my hand into my pocket again. "Thanks for letting me stay. Come over when you want me to cook for you again." I say, offering him a glance back and a smile.

He doesn't meet my gaze.

I walk to the door, putting on my shoes and leaving. I know I shouldn't, but my eyes are drawn back to the house, to the door. It is slightly cracked and I know onyx eyes are staring at me, hoping that I'll return.

_If I turn around, if I go back, will you never leave me? _

I shake my head, turning and going on my way.

To this day, I wonder if things would've turned out differently had I stayed.


	17. Chapter 17: Crimson Soaked Monster

_Miki_

"I knew I'd find you here," I say, jumping behind the red haired sound ninja.

He says nothing in response, merely staring at me blankly. I walk over as near as I can before I catch him tense, stopping in my tracks and sitting down.

"It's another full moon," I comment, gazing up at the stars.

"You couldn't sleep," he says, his voice a near whisper.

"Yeah."

We sit in silence for a while, staring up at the moon.

"You amaze me, Gaara, really you do." If he is affected by my comment his face doesn't show it.

"You are able to hide your emotions so carefully," I continue. "It really is as if you are void of them."

My skin begins to itch as particles of sand float in the air around me, threateningly.

"I meant no insult." I pause for a moment before turning back to him to meet his gaze.

"You hold a beast inside you, don't you?"

With this inquiry his eyes widen ever so slightly, regarding me with a slight curiosity.

"Having such a thing inside of you changes you're being. I know this best of all perhaps."

I lift up my knees, wrapping my arms around my calves and resting my chin on my knee caps. "I was born without a conscious. Terms like _right_ and _wrong_ have no meaning to me. Emotions are intangible and foreign things. It is only because of my contract with the being inside me that I am able to feel at all. I was born to be a shell for her and nothing more."

I shift, pressing my arms down on the rooftop to gaze up at the moon.

"I envy you, Gaara. You can choose what you feel…if you feel."

"There is nothing good about me." His response is quiet, nearly a whisper.

I rise to my feet, jumping in front of him in the next second only to meet a blaring wall of sand.

"Get back," he hisses.

Shaking my head, I lift my hand, pressing my palm against the cascading grains. They wrap around it angrily, threateningly, but I don't pull away.

"I don't believe that. I don't believe that there's nothing good about you. It's not possible."

"I said, get back," he repeats, closing the sand tighter around my hand.

"You're just going to have to break my hand then, because I'm not moving."

I can feel his eyes studying me from behind the layer of sand separating us. He's waiting for any sign that I'm going to pull away, that I'm going to leave him.

I soften my gaze when the sand loosens, ever so slightly around my hand. "I trust you. Even if no one else believes it, even if you don't believe it, I know that you are good."

I smile, pressing my hand further into the sand. Just barely, I can feel the heat of his own fingers against mine, tickling them like the edges of a flame. Slowly, the wall of sand collapses until there is nothing but a small ball, where our hands, hidden inside, remain.

I meet his gaze evenly, noticing the twinge of fear in his gaze.

"I've already seen your future, Gaara. I've seen what you will do. I'm not afraid… I'm not afraid of you." My voice is a whisper by now, but I know that he understands my every word. His eyes haven't left my lips since I began talking.

"Gaara…"

"Good, it looks like I've found the right place."

I turn towards the familiar voice, pulling my hand from the sand.

Dosu stands below us, staring up at Gaara.

"What do you want?" Gaara demands from behind me.

_He's not trying to hide his agitation. _

"You're in my way. By getting rid of you I become one step closer to Sasuke." He raises his arm, stepping towards us to reveal the sound contraption resting there. "I already know about your sand abilities. But, can sand travel faster than sound?"

I can feel the pressure building in the air behind me. "Dosu, leave now. Settle this during the Chuunin Exams like you're supposed to."

"Stay out of this, girl," he says, sauntering forward.

I don't fully remember what happened next. I remember an explosion and the rush of sand around my body a split second after white flames engulf it. The force of the flowing mass is enough to knock me off my feet.

The next thing I know, I'm holding on to the edge of the building, my feet dangling below me. I catch a glimpse of it above me as the sand pours over the edges. That thing was no longer Gaara, but something else entirely.

_He__didn__'__t__even__have__time__to__scream._

I lay my forearm flat on the roof of the building pulling myself up and onto my knees. My forehead feels warm and wet. My hand meets red liquid when I push it against my forehead. I rub the crimson blood between my fingers before wiping it off on my shirt, leaving a blood stain just above my left breast.

Gaara is bent over in the same spot, holding his forehead and breathing heavily. He glances over at me, remorse tingeing his gaze when he spots the blood on my forehead. He turns his head away, closing his eyes.

His way of saying "I told you so," I guess.

I stand up, walking towards him, passing what remains of Dosu's body. He recoils from me, stepping backwards.

I stop, hurt at his actions. "It's not you that's the monster, Gaara. It's what's inside of you."

He's eyes will not meet my own.

"I still believe in you, remember that."

I turn, clutching my forehead and jump off the roof. I expect my landing to be rough, ugly, but instead I feel the softness of sand wrap around my legs and feet, gently lowering me down.

I smile, reaching out my hand to run it along the smooth grains.

"Thank you," I whisper to it.

I cast one final glance back at him before turning and making my way back to my house.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Class is done, finals are nearly over, and almost all of my college applications are done! That means more chapters being released! Look forward to that. Please review! Next review gets a one shot, because I've hit my muse. :)**

**Avec l'amour,**

**Ary**


	18. Chapter 18: A Bad Feeling

_Akina_

The stands are filled to the brim with spectators, all of them loudly shouting down at us.

"Nothing better to do on a Saturday?" Miki questions as a lame joke.

I chuckle, glancing over at my sister who flashes a smile at me in return.

I cast my eyes around, looking for the familiar raven head of the Uchiha.

"Sasuke's not here?" Miki asks, looking at me.

I shake my head, narrowing my eyes when I don't spot the bandaged sound shinobi either. "The mummy's not here either. You don't think…?"

"No," Miki responds, almost too quickly. "I mean, something tells me we don't have to worry about him anymore."

"Is there something you aren't telling me?" I tilt my head to look at her.

She giggles, waving me off. "Chill, it's nothing. Just a hunch."

I stare at her, knowing that she's lying. _What__'__re__you__keeping__from__me?_

"Hey, come on. We can go up into the stands now." Miki says, elbowing me in the shoulder lightly.

I nod, turning to follow her into the stands. She's walking ahead of me, a little faster than usual.

I reach out, grabbing her arm. "Is everything alright?"

She recoils, slowly, so as not to hurt my feelings. "Will you stop worrying already? I'm fine, Akina. You know I would tell you if something was up."

I narrow my eyes, my hand still tingling from the short shock I received when my skin touched hers.

"You've seen something, haven't you?"

She chuckles, shaking her head. "Seriously, there's nothing going on. Trust me, okay?"

"Will you to move? Some of us are trying to get through?"

I turn, rolling my eyes at the annoying blond.

"I didn't realize they let second best in, too. You must feel so honored, Ino."

"I'm just glad you found shorts that fit this morning."

I raise my palm to my forehead, mocking hurt from the insult.

"Oh, that hurt, Ino. That really hurt." I smirk, turning away from her.

"I happen to like your outfit," Miki says with a smile.

I laugh, shaking my head at her lame joke. I tug at the collar of my sleek fitting, purple zip up tank, pulling it away from the fishnet turtleneck underneath. I have on brown shorts and thigh high black socks in contrast to the blue of my knee ankle high boots. Black, asymmetrical gloves adorn my hands, one stopping at the wrist and the other snaking its way up to my forearm. My hair is out of its usual messing bun and instead in a high ponytail. Despite this, it still nearly reaches the small of my back.

My sister's outfit is almost identical to mine, the only differences being in the while of her gloves and socks, and black shorts instead of brown. Her red hair is pulled back into a high ponytail as well, the edges of it brushing against her shoulder blades.

I nod to Ayame as she comes into view, moving to the railing to look out. Naruto and Neji's battle will commence soon, not that I'll really be paying all that much attention. Miki moves beside me, leaning her butt against the railing and wrapping her hands around the metal bar.

"Where do you think Uchiha is?" I ask, absentmindedly.

"I wouldn't know. You've always been closer to him than me." She glances over at me, raising an eyebrow. "Is there something going on with you and him?"

I chuckle, shaking my head. "We're just friends. Calm down, Sakura." I say, tilting my head back to acknowledge the fuming pink haired girl behind me.

I turn my attention back to the match, watching as Naruto and Neji fight toe to toe. It looks as if Neji has the upper hand until Naruto manages to slip by his defenses and deliver a powerful uppercut to Neji's chin, knocking him out.

I break out in applause along with the rest of the crowd, placing my fingers in my mouth to whistle as well.

He grins up at us, giving the thumbs up before turning to Neji to say something. He leaves the arena shortly after, opening it for Gaara and Sasuke's match.

I glance around, looking for the Uchiha that is still nowhere in sight.

"You don't think he bailed do you?" Kiba asks, moving behind me.

Shaking my head, I smirk, still looking down at the arena. "Are you kidding? Sasuke's never turned down a fight in his life."

"Knowing my uncle, he's the reason for the hold up," Miki says with a chuckle.

There is a gust of wind in the next moment, followed by Kakashi and Sasuke's appearance in the center of the ring.

_So__dramatic_, I think, rolling my eyes.

"I hope we're not too late."

Genma glances down at his watch, shrugging. "You're close."

I cross my arms, shaking my head at my uncle's own stupidity.

I take notice of Sasuke's change in outfit and the growth of his hair.

_Things__change__in__a__month,_ _don__'__t__they,__Uchiha?_

I catch sight of the red haired boy as he enters the ring, feeling a little uneasy at the way his eyes lock on Sasuke.

"His intensity is creepy, isn't it?" Naruto comments, walking behind us.

"He's just focused."

I glance over at my sister, raising an eyebrow at her sudden defense of the sand shinobi.

"Since when do you know him so well?" I ask.

She scoffs, rolling her eyes. "Who doesn't enter a fight focused on their opponent?"

I shrug, turning back to the fight to see Sasuke staring up at me. I return the gaze, raising an eyebrow in question. His eyes shift in apology before he turns his attention back to Gaara.

Kakashi leans down to whisper something to Sasuke before turning and body flickering beside Ayame.

"If you were hoping to cut it close, you succeeded," Ayame whispers to him, smiling slightly.

"I—"

"got lost on the path of life," Miki, Sakura, Naruto and I all say together.

He grins from behind his mask, amused at our mimicry of him.

Kakashi glances over my outfit, narrowing his eyes.

"Was that your mother's?"

I inadvertently reach up, tugging the collar again and nod. His gaze softens as he offers me a small smile.

"It looks good on you. Both of you."

Miki smiles in response before leaning over, punching me lightly, motioning for me to watch.

I turn my attention to the ring watching as Sasuke unleashes several taijutsu moves in sequence. Gaara continually blocks his advances with his sand, not even allowing Sasuke to move within ten feet of him.

"He's gotten faster," Ayame comments.

I can't help but agree with her. Sasuke had gotten _a__lot_ faster.

I'm about to ask what kind of training Sasuke underwent when I spot him move up the side of the arena, sticking his arm out.

_I__know__that__move._

I whip around to look at Kakashi. "You taught him _that_?"

Kakashi says nothing, merely staring at Sasuke.

I turn to Miki, ready to ask her if she can believe this when I notice her intently staring down at Gaara. Or at least, the ball of sand where Gaara should be standing. She is clenching the railing, her eyes darting between the powering Chidori in Sasuke's hand and the shield of sand.

"This is bad," she whispers.

Sasuke pulls back his arm, Chidori fully charged and dashes forward at an incredible speed.

"Miki, what's wrong?"

"This can't happen!" she shouts, pushing away from me.

I watch as she jumps down into the arena, moving in front of Sasuke.

Red falls to the ground, pooling around her feet.

"No, no, no!" I scream in horror, jumping down after her.

Sasuke pulls his hand from the center of her chest, inches away from the pike of sand protruding from just about her left breast.

Sasuke stares down at his blood covered hand, palm shaking. The sand falls away, leaving my sister to fall forward.

I reach out catching her, ignoring the squish of blood as we fall to the ground.

"No, no! Miki, look at me! You can't die!" I scream, hysterically, pressing my hand over the gaping wound.

Her eyes are glassed over, staring blankly up at the sky.

"Miki! Miki, look at me!" I repeat, tears filling my eyes. I can feel the fragility of her heartbeat through my fingertips.

"Please…" I whisper, just as the light leaves her eyes. Her heart fades in the next moment, leaving nothing but a dull vibration on my palm.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: It makes me so happy to be at this point! This story is nearly halfway over! Which means I'm one step closer to being able to really begin working on the sequel. **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter, and be prepared for some serious drama/action/rage in the chapter after the next one.**

**Happy Reading,**

**Ary**


	19. Chapter 19: The Wrath of a Hoshigaku

_Akina_

My hands press against her chest, one beat after another.

"Miki! Breath, dammit!"

_I __can__'__t __lose __you! __Not __you __too!_

Lifeless eyes stare back at me, lips upturned into a small smile. Blood flows from between her lips, soiling the ground with its crimson.

"Akina, get back!"

Arms wrap around me, pulling me away from her body just before a shape encloses over it. A scream pierces the air.

I reach up, covering my ears. _It__'__s __too __loud. __Everything__'__s __too __loud!_

"Are you alright? Akina, answer me!"

I glance upward, my head too heavy to lift. Sasuke's concerned eyes stare down at me, hands gently shaking me.

_Am I alright? What a stupid question. Of course I'm not alright. _

I reach up, gripping my head.

"I'm fine," I murmur, leaning on him to pull myself up. My limbs feel as if I'm trudging through a sea of sand.

_Heavy, __they__'__re __so __heavy__…_

"Sasuke, go after Gaara. Don't let them get away."

I feel his grip tighten around my biceps.

"But…"

"Now, Sasuke."

He crushes together his teeth in annoyance, releasing my biceps. He's gone in the next second, replaced by a familiar figure.

"Akina…"

Warm arms wrap around my frame, pulling me into their embrace. Soft blond locks flow over my face followed by the scent of strawberries. I close my eyes, falling deeper into the warmth.

_Can __I __stay __like __this? __Is __this __okay?_

**I ****didn****'****t ****take ****you ****as ****the ****type ****to ****simply ****give ****up.**

_It's not giving up. _

**Reveling in this fuzzy atmosphere isn't giving up? **

_It__'__s __better __than __reality._

**You pathetic, weak thing. You don't deserve to bare the same name as your ancestors. **

"Shut up! What the hell do you know? Just shut up!"

I rip away from the person holding me, panting in anger. The pain in my neck flares up menacingly.

"Akina, calm down!"

I hold up my hand, stopping Ayame.

"This is nothing." I reach up, gripping my chest. "Compared to the pain here, this is nothing."

I can feel the tears streaming down my face in an endless river.

I glance up, noticing the quiet clash of steel. The stands are absent of the chaos that should be expected. I narrow my eyes, suspecting a genjutsu.

Ayame outstretches her arm, stepping towards me. "Akina, you don't have to do anything. No one expects-"

"Am I or am I not a shinobi Ayame?" I ask, looking over at her.

She pauses, staring over at me.

"I'm going after them."

I turn my back to her, stepping forward. Her hand falls on my shoulder, holding me back.

"Be careful," she whispers.

I nod, almost imperceptibly, before taking off.

_Please, let me get there fast enough. _

I close my eyes, flowing chakra into them.

_Yaminome, __show __me __the __past._

I open them, finding a line mapped out in front of me. I fly through the tree line, ducking through branches. Birds take flight at my movement, nervously shying away from the disturbance.

The line ends abruptly, forcing me to come to a stop. I examine the surrounding area, looking for any sign of movement when I catch a faint scent. Moving towards the origin, I come to a stop in front of the tree, pressing my palm against the bark. I lean forward, sniffing the scent.

_Pakkun? _

I pull back and take off again, this time following the scent of Kakashi's dog. It isn't long before the smell grows stronger and I begin to notice signs of a struggle. Trees lay toppled over, their trunks in shambles on the ground.

_Was this all done by Sasuke and Gaara? _

I turn my attention forward again, spotting a glimpse of pink hair through the trees. I reach up, gripping the cursed mark as it sears across my skin, lighting it on fire.

_Not now!_

Despite the pain, I force myself forward, moving into the line of sight. I catch my breath, seeing the same thing that touched my sister before heading towards a trembling Sakura.

"No!" I shout, lunging forward.

I knock her out of the way, lifting my arms in front of my face. The blow that comes next sends needles through my veins. My back impacts against a nearby tree as the grotesque arm wraps around my body.

I cough, blood seeping between my lips. At least two of my ribs are broken by the collision.

"You're in the way!" the thing shouts hysterically, wrapping tighter around my body.

"Shut up," I hiss.

I power chakra into my arm, giving myself enough strength to pull it loose.

"You don't get to talk to me, you murderer!"

I slam my arm down on my captor, sending streaks of lighting barreling down its length. It pulls away, screaming in pain as the arm dissipates. I fall to the nearest branch, gripping my side as the pain radiates through my body.

"All she did was care for you," I say, feeling the rage build inside me. "All she did was smile for you and you took her away."

I remove my hand from my side, pressing my hands together in a series of hand signs. I feel my chakra build in my right hand, traveling up the length of my arm.

"I will never forgive you for that!" I shout, feeling my wrath bubble over.

I raise my head, eyes blaring from the power of my Yaminome and rocket forward, leaving a crater in the branch in my wake. He shouts in anger, thrusting his arm towards me. I follow his blow, outstretching my own arm to let the dagger like end slice through, sending my black lightening coursing through his body.

I land clumsily on a nearby branch, hearing him scream in agony behind me. Naruto appears in front of me, steadying me.

"I'm here to help," he says, turning to face Gaara.

I whip out my arm, knocking him back against the trunk of the tree.

"What was that for?" he shouts angrily.

"Stay out of this, Naruto. This is my fight."

"You can't fight this guy on your own, Akina. Let Naruto help," Sakura pleads.

"I have to!" I shout, silencing any other rebuttal. "I have to, to avenge my sister."

Naruto stands up, reaching out to me. "That was an accident, Akina."

"Don't touch me," I scream, knocking away his hand. "You didn't see what I did!"

I can feel fresh tears spilling over my cheeks onto the bark at my feet.

"He used her as a shield. When she moved in front of him she was prepared to block Sasuke's chidori. That bastard stabbed her through the heart and moved her in front of himself. It wasn't simultaneous! Sasuke's attack didn't touch her into after she was already marked for dead!"

I reach into my weapon pouch, pulling out three senbon.

"You're going to pay for what you did, Gaara! I swear!"

He laughs, eyes widening in sadistic pleasure. "Come at me then! I'll gladly send you to meet her!"

I glare at him, sending black lightening blazing around the senbon. I jump upward, leaving Naruto behind and fling the senbon at him.

"Is that the best you can do?" he shouts mockingly.

I press my fingers together. "Shadow Senbon Jutsu: Black Lightening Senbon Storm."

The three senbon explode, raining sinister streaks of black tendrils down on Gaara's form. He lashes out with his tail, knocking the mass of senbon away. I burst through the onslaught, delivering a chakra powered drop kick to his head. He screams in pain, stumbling backward, gripping his head. I land momentarily, pushing off the branch and charging towards him. In his confusion, I power chakra into my arm again, driving it through his abdomen.

"Go to hell," I whisper, pulling back my hand.

He flies through a nearby set of trees, stirring up dust in his wake. I turn away from his form, reaching up to wipe the endless flow of tears from my eyes.

"Is it over?" Sakura asks, sounding on the brink of relief.

_Yes,_ I think.

I grip my chest, the hollow feeling slowly beginning to make its way through my body once more. I raise my leg to step forward.

"Die!"

Pain shoots through every nerve of my body. I feel my spine shatter, sending my head flying backwards. Blood gushes from my throat and lips, splattering over the tree branch in front of me.

I glance down, spotting the arm of sand protruding through my stomach, soaked in my blood. He rips his arm back, leaving me to collapse on the branch below my feet. I can feel my blood pooling around my body and see it as it flows off the edge of the thick branch I lay on. Warmth slowly spreads through my body as my skin begins to tingle.

"Akina!"

_Sasuke__'__s __voice __sounds __so __pained._

I open my eyes, staring at the light between the trees.

_When __did __I __turn __around?_ I think.

There are arms wrapped around me, pressing my neck against a forearm.

_When __did __someone __place __their __arms __around __me?_

Tears hit my face, rolling down off my cheeks.

"What is this?" I murmur, curling my bloodstained lips into a smile. I feel a dull pain in my chest from talking, but ignore it. "I know I used to make you cry when we were little, Uchiha, but c'mon…"

"Shut up, Stupid," he barks. "Just don't talk. Save your energy."

I sigh, chuckling slightly. "You know as well as I saving my energy won't help anything."

"Don't say that! Don't act like there's no hope! Don't act as if you're going to die!"

The tears won't stop.

_Is __that __what __I __looked __like?_

I look back up, trying to see the sky through the cracks in the tree leaves.

"Do you think they're waiting for me, Sasuke? Mom and Miki?"

I feel his arms tense. Silence hangs in the air between us. For a moment I think he didn't hear my question.

"Yeah, I think so," he says finally.

My vision is so blurry at this point that I can't see his face. I smile, closing my eyes.

"Good."

I open them, staring into blackness.

"Thank you, Sasuke," I whisper before succumbing to death.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And thus, we come to the end of our story...**

**Just kidding! Expect much, much more from this story. My muse isn't quite finished with me yet. In fact, she's been hitting me for the past few days to start writing this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it and look for the next chapter soon!**

**Reviews make the cookie monster in my brain happy. **

**With love,**

**Ary**


	20. Chapter 20: Remembrance

Sasuke looks over, staring at the picture on the dresser.

"_No pictures?" She asks, not looking in his direction. _

"_No. No pictures." _

"_Liar." She glances at him out of the corner of her eye. _

"_I saw the picture on your dresser." _

He reaches over, gently lowering the face of the picture to the dresser.

"You fool," he whispers.

He rises from his bed, walking to the doorway and putting on his shoes.

"_C'mon, Uchiha. How slow can you get?" _

_She stands off to the side, looking impatiently at him. _

He reaches out, opening the door. The wind blows against his face as he stares up at the dull gray sky. He walks forward, going to meet his teammates. Sakura and Naruto stand in the road, looking at him.

"Sasuke…" Sakura begins.

He walks past her, stopping a few feet away waiting for them to follow. When their footsteps beat against the ground he resumes walking, hands in his pockets.

If nothing else, he had his pride. If they were expecting him to break down, it wasn't going to happen.

"_Tough as ever, Uchiha," she says, feet dangling off the edge of the fence. _

He walks forward, following the procession of people. Naruto and Sakura walk closely behind him, following him until they are forced to split apart. He comes to a standstill, examining the erected alter before him.

Akina's picture lies on the end of the right side, opposite her sister on the left. Afterall, the order of the pictures was arranged by rank. She stares at him, lips tilted up into the smallest of smiles. He stares back at her, eyes unmoving from her own.

The rain begins to fall in the next moment, sending droplets cascading down the glass.

"Even the heaven's weep," he hears Asuma say.

He presses his lips together, hollowness overtaking his body.

* * *

><p>Kakashi stares at the obsidian stone, looking between four separate names.<p>

"Are you satisfied now, Kakashi?" Ayame asks, walking in front of him.

She crouches down, clutching the bouquet of water lilies in her arms. Gently, she lowers it to the head of the stone, pressing together her palms.

"How could I possibly be satisfied?" he responds.

"It was your decision. You would do well to remember that," she advises, rising to her feet again. "The ceremony has already started. Though, I'm sure you already know that. Try not to miss it all."

She turns to leave, walking past him.

"Did I make the right decision?" he asks.

She pauses, staring out as the rain hits her body. "Doesn't the fact that you question it prove it wasn't?"

"I just wanted to protect them."

She chuckles, turning back to face him. "Protect them? By leaving them without a father?"

He turns his gaze to Obito's name. "I didn't want them to feel the same pain that I did. A shinobi's life is unpredictable. It would've given them nothing but pain in the end."

"So you say, but if you truly believed that, you should've stayed out of their lives completely. You were too selfish for that though, right, Kakashi?" she asks, stepping forward. "Face facts, you were just too scared to bear responsibility. Too afraid that things would come crashing down. And now you have to live with your regret."

She turns, leaving him to stare at the stone.

"_Uncle, what are you doing? I want to play," Miki says, tugging at his sleeve. _

_Her blue locks are tied up in matching pigtails. _

"_I can't do it right! Uncle, show me your Chidori once more," Akina pleads, palms pressed together. _

_Her shoulder length ponytail sways as she leans forward, pouting her lips. _

"_When will you let me tell them who their father is?" Reina asks, stroking the side of his masked jaw. _

_Her lips are upturned into a loving smile as she stares at him. _

"_They deserve to know how great a man he is." _

He grits his teeth, breaking his gaze from the stone.

"I'm not a great man. I didn't even tell them I'm their father. I didn't even tell them I loved them. I'm nothing but a coward."

He turns, leaving the stone of names behind.

* * *

><p>Gaara stares out at the sand village from the window in his room. His fingers absentmindedly roll sand to and fro, keeping them busy.<p>

He had done what he set out to do, hadn't he? He'd fulfilled his purpose. He'd killed them. Why then, did he feel this away? Was it because of what Naruto Uzumaki had said that day?

"_See, Gaara. I told you that you're good," Miki says, standing behind him with a soft smile on her lips. _

He turns his head, looking at her only to find she's no longer there.

"But…she's right. I killed you that day," he murmurs.

There is a short knock on the door. He looks up as Temari opens it, slowly poking her head inside.

"I thought you might want something to eat," she explains, stepping inside.

She carries the tray of food she's holding to his desk, setting it down gently before turning to leave.

"Temari," he calls.

She stops, turning her head to look back at him.

"Do you think…I'm good?"

His older sister says nothing for a while, merely standing with her back to him. He looks down at his thumbs, fearing this reaction from her.

"I think, in your own way, you've always been good, Gaara. It's everyone else that has treated you wrong, myself included."

She offers him a small smile before leaving the room, shutting the door quietly.

"_You know, you always seem to be asking others what they think. What do you think, Gaara?" Miki asks, sitting at the foot of his bed. _

He looks up at her, eyes widening slightly. She is gone once again.

He looks down, clenching together his hands.

"I want to change. I want to be good. I want to be loved. I-"

"_You're not alone anymore, Gaara," she says, placing her hand on his back. _

_She smiles down at him warmly, bending down to kiss his temple. _

He reaches up, knowing it's impossible, yet feeling his temple tingle from her touch all the same.

* * *

><p>The three figures stare out over the leaf village from their position at the top of the hill.<p>

"So this is where Reina's daughters came from?" The man asks, looking over at his companion.

The blond female nods, looking over the battered village. "It would appear so. Though, it seems as though the mighty have fallen."

"I say we give them our condolences," the brunette suggests, a smirk crossing her face. "I'm in the mood for some fun. What about you, Hitoshi?"

"I couldn't care less about this broken village, Kira. The only one who finds carnage fun is you," Hitoshi retorts, regarding the scene with a bored expression.

"Fine, more fun for me then," Kira replies, sticking out her tongue.

"That won't be necessary, Kira. He's already here for us."

Hitoshi looks over at the blond woman, eyebrows raised in curiosity. "You don't mean…?"

Her lips tilt up into a smirk. "I most certainly do."

"He gets to have all the fun, Yurie. It's not fair," Kira complains, glancing over at Yurie.

"That is the way it is though. We cannot change that. Come, Hitoshi, Kira. Let us return before they wake."

Yurie turns from the scene stepping forward. Hitoshi and Kira follow in her footsteps, smirks widening on their faces.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Da-da-dannn... **

**Nothing good ever comes in threes. Beware the evil blondes...**

**I can't believe I finally hit chapter 20! I'm patting myself on the back for this one. Be on the lookout for the next chapter, coming to you soon.**

**KuramaMustangElric, you are just awesome! I look forward to your reviews on every chapter I post. **

**Take a note from the above mentioned name and review please! Reviews make the man standing outside my window go away. o.o**

**As always,**

**Ary**


	21. Chapter 21: Rebirth

_Miki_

Oxygen fills my lungs, setting them ablaze like kindling to a fire. I open my eyes, gasping in large breaths, reaching up to grip my chest. My arm feels heavy though, foreign. I bring it to my face, examining it.

_Since when have my fingers been so long? _

I turn it, looking at my palms. My pulse quickens as my eyes widen in shock.

_My palms…are soft? _

Years of training has made my palms rough and calloused. Every ninja suffers the same fate.

"What the…?"

I catch a glimpse of light, reflecting off a surface.

_A mirror? _

I turn my head to look, instantly regretting it the moment I do. I scream, skittering backwards against the wall, out of view of the mirror.

_What the fuck? _

_What the fuck! _

_WHAT THE FUCK! _

I bring my hands to my face, gripping my cheeks, nose, forehead. Trembling, I slide forward off the bed. My legs feel unsteady, but only for a moment. I move forward cautiously, fighting off the urge to run away. I raise my hand, pressing my fingers against the glass of the mirror.

The hand in the mirror touches my own, fingertips pressing against fingertips. Slender fingers meet soft hands. Hands meet long, muscular arms. I pull back my hand, reaching up to touch my lips. The person in the mirror does the same. Pink, supple lips part to reveal white teeth. A long, inverted triangle shaped face houses high cheekbones and a petite nose. Cerulean blue eyes stare at me through the reflective glass, flickering in wonder.

I glance down at the figure, noticing the tall, slim, athletic frame.

"Just going to keep admiring yourself in the mirror, koneko?"

I swivel around, grabbing the blanket off the table to cover my naked form. The man holds up his arms in mock embarrassment, a smirk slipping onto his face.

"Relax, koneko. I didn't see anything."

His arms enclose on either side of my head in the next second, pinning me against the wall.

"Unless you want me to have seen something, Koneko?" he whispers, leaning closer.

Against my will, I feel a blush creep onto my face. I reach forward, pushing him back.

"As if, you pervert," I mumble, averting my gaze.

He laughs, reaching up to run a hand through his fiery red hair.

"Suit yourself, Koneko."

He reaches into the pouch at his thigh, digging something out before tossing it to me.

"Put this on, then it's time for a little meet and greet with the others."

He raises two fingers in farewell before leaving me in the room again.

I unfurl the package to see a tight fitting turtleneck dress, the hem stopping abruptly at what is most likely mid-thigh.

_Who am I? Akina? _

I sigh, pulling it on, surprised at the way it conforms to my body. I step forward, stopping again at the mirror.

_Since __when __the __hell __do __I __have __purple __hair?_ I think, gripping a strand of the light purple lock in my hand.

I scrunch my nose in distaste, readying the give that pervert a piece of my mind. I turn away from the mirror, walking towards the door. A pair of black heeled boots waits for me by the doorway. I pull them on before stepping outside into the dimly lit hallway.

"Took you long enough, Koneko."

I glare at him in annoyance. "Stop calling me that. And another thing. Why the hell is my hair purple?" I demand, crossing my arms.

He grins, reaching forward to hold a lock of my hair between his fingers.

"You don't like it? I think it suits you perfectly."

He brings it too his lips, planting a gentle kiss on the lavender strands. I slap away his hand, narrowing my eyes.

"You'd do well to keep your lips to yourself," I warn, full out glaring at him now.

He stares at me with a shocked expression on his face. Then, slowly, his lips upturn into a grin, followed by velvet laughter.

"You're too interesting, Koneko. Come, let's meet the others."

He turns, ushering me forward. I follow him grudgingly, wanting nothing more than to slap him silly.

_Though, I must admit, he's really handsome… _

I take notice of his broad shoulders and toned form, wondering what type of training he must have endured to get such a form. He glances back, smirking when he catches me staring. I turn my head, puffing out my cheeks into a pout.

"Here we are, Koneko," he announces.

He outstretches his arm, pushing open the massive doors in front of him.

"Welcome, to the Kage Special Forces."

My eyes adjust automatically to the change in lighting, giving me full view of the scene in front of my. There are seven young shinobi standing in a row in front of a young, blonde woman. She smiles at my entrance, emerald eyes regarding me with compassion.

"Go on, Koneko," the man says, pressing his hand to my back.

I step forward, moving to stand in the line with the others.

"I welcome all of you," the blonde says. "You must realize by now that you are here for a reason. There is one key thing that binds all of us here together. We have all died."

A stabbing pain rips through my chest at her words. I glance downward, gritting my teeth.

_That's right. I did die, didn't I? _

"Regardless, you have been brought back into your original bodies because you each hold some indispensable ability. I know it may seem strange, but rest assured, that is your original body. Your bodies must be aged to accommodate the new changes implemented in your revival. Your mentors will aid you while you learn the limitations of your renewed form."

"Define mentors," one of the boys in the line says.

The blonde turns to him, smiling. "I apologize. You have already made acquaintances with them, unbeknownst to you. They, in fact, were the people that brought you here. You will become very familiar over the next few weeks."

"More importantly, what are we expected to do?"

I swivel around, feeling my blood freeze at the sound of that voice. I meet my sister's coal black eyes, my own widening in shock.

"What is she doing here?" I demand, turning back to face the blonde.

"Don't talk about me like I'm not in the room, Miki."

Akina brushes past me, taking her place on the opposite end of the line.

"That doesn't make any sense though," I cry, staring incredulously at her. "I'm the one that died! You shouldn't be here!"

She reaches up, running a hand through her hair.

"Well, I am. And there's nothing either of us can do about it," she replies. Her eyes never meet my own.

"Why don't you tell her the truth? Afterall, she is a big girl now."

I look over at the young looking brunette, staring strangely at the stuffed animal she's holding. I catch Akina glare at her out of the corner of my eye.

"Go on, Akina. Tell her how her little boyfriend drove a pike through your chest. Tell her how you bleed out in the Uchiha's arms."

I feel as if the air has been sucked out from my lungs.

_What? Gaara killed her…? But…why? _

"Kira," the blonde interrupts. "That will suffice."

Kira chuckles, tilting her lips up into a condescending smirk before burying them into the side of her bear.

"Our expectations?" Akina repeats again, seemingly un-phased by the whole situation.

"It is simple. You are to follow the orders of the Kages, nothing more, nothing less," the blonde responds.

"Seems like a cushy job… so what's the catch?" the boy asks.

"No catch. You are merely expected to follow their orders unconditionally. If they order you to be a sword, you are to annihilate anything that stands in their way. If a shield, you are to protect them at all cost. If a shadow, you are to follow them without detection. Do you understand? The Kage's orders are absolute in this organization."

"And what if we disagree with their orders?" Akina proposes.

_Why can't you just keep your mouth shut? _

I cast my gaze sideways, glaring down at her in warning. The smirk widens on Kira's face again, sending shivers down my spine.

"We have ways of _re-educating_ those who forget our ways and our rules," she explains.

"But, I do not believe we will have any difficulties with this group," the blonde refutes, the smile never leaving her face. "You are all dismissed for now. Your mentors will take you to your resting quarters for the moment."

The redhead appears beside me again, placing a hand on my back. He pauses for a moment, staring back at Kira. She smirks in response to him look before turning away and walking off.

"What's the brat's problem?" I ask, walking forward at his request.

"Avoid her, Koneko. She's what you call a 'loose cannon.'"

I pause, looking at the intensity of his gaze.

_He's completely different than he was ten minutes ago. _

"Are you that afraid of her?" I ask, gauging his expression.

"Me? Of her? No. Me for you? Yes. I don't like the look she has in her eyes when she looks at you. Or that sister of yours for that matter. She only gets that look when she sees something she wants."

I come to a halt when we reach a doorway.

"Is that so bad?" I question, raising an eyebrow.

He reaches out, gripping the door handle.

"She kills what she wants," he says, before opening the door.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I finally finished it! I'm quite literally nearly breaking my arms patting myself on the back. **

**I have almost zero free time lately (stupid online classes) but I'm going to try to update THIS story as much as I can. My other AU will probably be put on hiatus for the time being.**

**Please leave reviews! They make me want to continue writing this even though I'm swamped with work. If you like the story (or hate it) let me know! I'll do my best to keep improving.**

**With love,**

**Ary**


	22. Chapter 22: Return

_Akina_

"You really should be a little nicer to your sister."

I glance up, looking into the mirror at the man behind me. "I didn't realize I was being mean," I reply, cupping water into my hands. I toss it onto my face, letting the droplets coat the soft flesh.

_My flesh. _

I pick up a towel, wiping my face clean. "What do you want, Hitoshi?"

He nods towards the door. "Time to start your rehabilitation. You need to become reoriented with your body," he explains.

I toss the towel against the sink, walking ahead of him out the door. Miki is waiting for me against the wall when I emerge.

She reaches out, grasping my arm. "Is what she said true? Did Gaara kill you?" Her eyes bore into mine. She doesn't want me to tell her something silly, like he wasn't responsible. Miki would never be that naïve. _She just wants the truth. _

"Yes," I whisper.

She releases my arm, falling back against the wall, eyes downcast. I continue on, leaving her behind.

"Did you have to be so blunt?" Hitoshi asks.

"You don't know me very well, do you?" I retort.

He grabs my arm, pulling me back. "She's in the same situation you are. Scared, confused, forced to adapt to a new, strange environment. Couldn't you show a little sympathy?" He's glaring at me now.

I slap away his hand, returning his glare. "Do you think this is the first time this has happened? We're not some weak little wall flowers that can't function without comfort. What both of us need right now is a way to clear our heads, so, if you don't mind, can we get back to what we're supposed to be doing?"

He grinds his teeth, brushing past me.

_Someone doesn't like me very much._ I follow him to an unmarked door. He reaches out, gripping the handle.

"Shield your eyes until they adjust. It'll only take a minute, but it'll be a painful minute if you don't."

I raise my hand above my eyes, making a shield over them with my palm. He pushes open the door, reaching back to grip my hand. He pulls me forward, out into the sunlight. I squint, the sunlight burning my eyes even from behind the barrier of my palm. Soon, however, the burning ceases and I move my hand from my eyes, looking around. It's a heavily forested area, only allowing minuet rays of the sun to burst through the clouds.

"The KSF owns all of this. It's right on the cusp of fire country. It's discrete enough for us to train in peace."

He releases my hand, ushering me to follow him. We walk further into the woods, until we enter clearing in the trees. It isn't very big, maybe only 10 meters in diameter. The tops of the surrounding trees prevent a majority of the sunlight from entering into it.

_Low visibility from the sky_, I think.

"You own multiple training areas I assume?"

He nods, pulling out several kunai. "One on the edge of each country." He tosses the kunai, stabbing them into the trees surrounding the clearing. Each of the kunai has a tag attached to the end of it.

"They're convenient as you can imagine. Once you die, they bring you to the base closest to your village. When you're revived and brought into service, you become allied with your village's kage. While other Kage can use you if necessary, it's rare for that to happen. Mostly because they don't know of your existence," he explains, turning back to face me. "I'll elaborate more on that later. For now, you're out here to get acquainted with your body. This is a strictly taijutsu exercise. Using ninjutsu at this point is too dangerous, and it'll most likely backfire. Just try to block, don't worry about retaliating. Keep yourself in front of the kunai in the trees."

He points downward. "Watch my feet," he instructs. In the next second he is in front of me, foot driving into my stomach.

_I didn't even see him move. _

I lean back on my left leg, hoping to dodge the downward punch aimed at my head.

"Too slow," he states, fist connecting with the top of my head. I reach out, stopping myself from slamming into the ground only to receive a kick to the side that sends me sliding across the dirt. I kick my legs over my shoulder, reaching up with my arm to wipe the blood from my lips. My limbs feel like lead weights.

_Why isn't my body reacting fast enough? _

"While your new body is far more agile than your old, it's also heavier. Don't think about how to react, just do it," he instructs.

I jump back, feeling the knick of his fist as it grazes my face.

"Still too slow."

He moves behind me, delivering a kick to my back that knocks me to the ground. I grit my teeth, digging my nails into the dirt.

"I'm disappointed," he comments, crouching down by my head.

"Shut up," I mumble, turning my head away.

_I can't keep up. He's just too fast. _

I hear him sigh beside me. I turn my head back, annoyed, when I see his outstretched hand.

"What?" I ask.

"I'm giving you a little motivation. We're going to see him, Sasuke Uchiha."

I stare at him, wide eyed. "What are you talking about?" I ask, incredulously.

"You're worried about him aren't you? You kept mumbling his name in your sleep last night. So let's go see him." He reaches down, grabbing my hand and pulling me up.

"Isn't that against the rules or something?"

He glances back, smiling. "Don't worry about that," he says. He reaches back, picking me up off my feet into his arms.

"Hold on," he warns. He takes off in the next second, pivoting and ducking through the trees. I look up at him as we near the gates.

"What now?" I ask.

He merely smirks before crouching down and jumping, landing nearly halfway up the wall. He runs a few steps before jumping again, sailing over the top of it and landing on a nearby building. I glance back trying to hide the shock I know is on my face.

_That would've killed a normal person. _

"Put this on," he says, handing me a cloth mask. I pull the mask over my head, tucking the bottom of it under my turtle neck. I pull the top over my mouth and nose.

We land back into an alley, calmly walking into the street.

"Lead the way." He swings his arm forward, motioning for me to go ahead. I walk through the familiar roads, staying away from heavily populated streets. I point to the apartment complex down the street from us.

"That's it," I say.

He grabs my waist, pulling me against his chest. Using body flicker, we appear behind the building in the next moment. He jumps up, allowing both of us to reach out and grip the edge of the window sill.

I glance inside, my breath catching when I spot Sasuke. He is sitting on the couch in the living room, a kunai swinging back and forth on his finger.

He looks awful, I think, noting his thin frame. He flips the kunai, catching it in his palm. He outstretches the blade over his wrist, bringing it down and dragging it across his skin. Blood bubbles to the top of his skin, flowing over onto the fabric of the couch.

_What the hell,_ I think.

Hitoshi reaches over, gripping my bicep.

_A warning_.

I grind my teeth, nodding my understanding. I turn my attention back to the house as the door bursts open and Sakura runs inside, tackling Sasuke onto the couch.

"What are you doing here?" he asks her. His voice sounds as numb as his body looks.

She knocks the kunai from his hand, letting it fall to the floor. "I won't let you do this to yourself, Sasuke," she cries, burying her face into his chest.

He pushes her up, resting a hand on the top of her head as tears stream down her face.

"Sakura," he murmurs.

She looks up just as his lips connect with hers. I nearly lose my grip on the window at the scene. Hitoshi grabs my waist, steadying me again. Sasuke deepens the kiss, pulling Sakura closer. He moves his hand from the top of her head to the zipper on her dress, unzipping it and pulling it down. A blush coats her face as she sits in his lap, half naked. Timid fingers tug at the bottom of his shirt, pulling it over his head. I bite my lip, fighting back the tears burning in my eyes. He reaches behind her, unhooking her bra, and sliding it over her shoulders. He flips her onto the couch, hovering over her. Hands touch over her body, alluding to moans from her mouth.

"You really should close the door if you're going to do that."

Sakura quips in embarrassment at the silver haired shinobi's appearance in the doorway, reaching down the grab her dress.

"Sorry," she stammers, throwing on her dress and rushing out the door.

Kakashi steps back, allowing her to leave. He steps inside, shutting the door behind him.

"You need to stop this," he states.

Sasuke leans back against the couch, putting on his shirt again. "I didn't ask for a lecture, Kakashi," Sasuke retorts.

Hitoshi turns his head sharply, narrowing his eyes.

"What?" I ask, glancing around in alarm.

"Stay here," he says, letting go of my waist and dropping down.

"Get out," Sasuke shouts from inside. I glance back inside to see him standing, glaring angrily at Kakashi. Kakashi sighs in defeat, turning away from the boy.

"Hey, what're you doing up there?" I look down to see two leaf shinobi staring up at me. I grit my teeth, glaring down at them.

_Shit! _

I release my grip on the window sill, falling hard to the ground behind the fence separating us. I turn, running around the building complex as they hop over the fence. I run into the street, my legs feeling like dead weight. A kunai whizzes past my head, stabbing into the dirt in front of me. I turn sharply, ducking into a nearby alleyway. I glance back, seeing them still following me closely.

_Damn it, I'm still not fast enough. _

I turn into another street, reaching up and jumping over the fence. My leg goes numb as I land, nearly causing me to fall on my face. I rise on my opposite leg, forcing my other leg to move. As a turn the next corner I collide into something, stumbling backward.

"Akina?"

I look up, dumbfounded when I catch a glimpse of my sister's purple hair. "Miki, what are you doing here?" I twist my head back, hearing footsteps. I grab her arm, pulling her in between a set of buildings.

"I came here with Hiei," she whispers in response. "He brought me to see Uncle. But when we got to his home he wasn't there, and then the Konoha police showed up."

I grit my teeth in anger. "Damn it, this is a trap," I hiss, aggravated.

"Not a trap, a test," Hitoshi calls.

I glance up, spotting him at the top of the building. He is standing beside a red haired boy, smirking down at us.

"Don't get caught ladies. You won't enjoy the punishment if you are," the man I presume to be Hiei says.

"You're just going to leave us here to drown?" Miki shouts, clenching her fists. I reach over, clamping my hand over her mouth. I raise a finger to my lips, silencing her.

"You might wanna move," Hiei warns.

I am about to ask him why when Miki pushes me over, jumping out of the way. The wall behind us explodes, leaving a hole in the side of the building. I reach up, gingerly touching the blood running down my forehead. I can hear Hitoshi's mocking tone in the back of my mind.

_Too slow. _

I grind my teeth, rocking back onto my feet. A hand grabs my own, pulling me backwards. Miki tugs me along, running far faster than I can keep up with.

"Akina, you have to move faster."

"I can't!" I shout in frustration.

She rips away from me as a kunai flies in between us, slicing through my hand. My leg gives out again, forcing me to my knees. I reach out my hand, holding myself up as I struggle to get my leg to move. Miki moves behind me, placing her hands on my shoulders.

"Akina…"

I look up, startled by the sound of the frail voice. Sasuke stands in front of Kakashi and a group of Jounin, staring at me with hopeful eyes. I avert my gaze, letting my hair fall into my eyes.

_I can't let him see me. I can't let him touch me_.

I can hear his footsteps as he steps towards me. I close my eyes, fighting back tears.

_Please, stop it. Don't touch me. Don't look at me. _

He stops in front of me. Miki tenses behind me, ready to strike. His hand inches forward, fingertips grazing my skin.

_No! _

I lash out with my fist, driving it into his stomach. He kneels over, gripping his stomach and coughing up blood. I rise onto my feet, the numbness disappearing from my legs. Miki steps beside me, clenching and unclenching her fists.

"We're fighting our way out of this?" she asks.

"Yep," I reply.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I finally finished it! Yay! **

**Comments, thoughts, questions? **

**Not much else to say, yeah, I'm pretty boring right now.**

**Amicalement,**

**Ary**


	23. Chapter 23: Enough Is Enough

_Miki_

I can feel the flow of chakra flowing through every inch of my body. Akina flexes her fingers, her gaze focused on the group of shinobi in front of us.

"Sasuke!"

She flinches at the sound of the pink haired shinobi's voice. Sakura pushes through the crowd, running towards him.

"Now," Akina whispers.

She runs forward, flipping onto her hands and delivering a powerful kick to the chin of the nearest shinobi, knocking him off his feet. I sprint after her, flipping onto my hands and driving the full force of my leg onto a kunoichi. I step onto her stomach, forcing her deeper into the ground. I follow through with another side hook to the shinobi in front of me, bringing my leg to his side when he barely blocks my fist.

"Move," I hear my sister shout from outside the cluster of bodies. I crouch my legs, jumping up just as the ground collapses between my feet. I land beside my sister, glancing back in surprise at the distance I was able to jump.

"Let's go," she says.

I turn sprinting off with her. We slide into another alleyway before jumping up onto the rooftop of a nearby building. The wall of the gates surrounding the village is several meters in front of us.

"Can you clear it?" I ask her.

She nods, taking off towards it. I can hear the pat of feet from our pursuers. I follow on her heels, straining my legs to move faster. Even with the control I have now, they're still too stiff. When we're a mere few feet from the wall, I bend my legs pushing off the building. We sail upward, nearly reaching the top of it. I slide down a few feet before building enough chakra in my legs to steady myself.

"Good enough, Koneko."

Arms wrap around my waist, pulling me upward and over the wall. Hiei sets me down on the opposite side of the wall. I move to get up when he pushes me back down, shaking his head back and forth.

"Stay down for a moment. You've already exerted your muscles too much."

I glance around trying to spot Akina.

"Don't worry. Hitoshi took her a little further away," he says, noticing my apprehension.

I push off the ground, stumbling a little on my feet. "We should keep moving," I say.

He raises an eyebrow in question, but doesn't protest. We take off, heading back towards the base, ducking in between tree trucks and branches. I land clumsily at the entrance to the base, collapsing as soon as I take a step forward. Hiei's arm pulls me up, keeping me from hitting the steel door with my forehead.

"Easy there. I told you, you'd pushed your muscles too hard too soon."

He slings my arm around his shoulders, lugging me inside the building. My arms and legs feel tight and limp, merely dangling at my sides. He pulls me forward, turning down a hallway in the opposite direction of my room. I'm too tired to question his movements. He leads me to a small bath area, closing the door behind us. It clicks with a resolute thud. His hands reach behind me, pulling the sash at my back free.

"What are you doing?" I question, my voice sounding weak.

"Relax, Koneko. You can't bathe with your clothes on, right?"

I sigh, too tired to argue with him at this point. Those same hands slide to the front of my top, pulling apart the front.

_His hands are warm,_ I think.

A small shiver runs across my body as his hands cup my breasts, fingers rotating in small oscillations before sliding around to my back to unhook my bra.

"Can you stand?"

He's breathing abnormally. I nod, my brain too flustered to form words. Slowly, his hands slide down my sides, slipping under the waistline of my pants. He falls to his knees, gently sliding down my pants. His fingertips brush against my butt, my thighs. My face is burning from his touch.

"Beautiful."

The word escapes his lips in a breathy whisper, so soft I'm unsure if I heard him correctly. He rises again, standing over me. Hands reach up, cupping the side of my face. His fingers graze over my lips, tracing invisible patterns against the soft flesh. He leans forward, hovering his forehead just inches away from mine.

"Get in the bath, Koneko."

He pulls away, pushing me backward into the water. I sputter awkwardly to the surface, glaring at him.

"And here I was starting to think you could be a nice guy."

He chuckles, flashing me a devilish grin. "There are no nice guys in this organization, Koneko." Hiei turns, leaving me to soak into the water.

I stare down into the rippling waves, staring at my reflection. My cheek is a little bruised from the impact of the rubble when Akina smashed the earth, but other than that I appear to be fine.

_I wonder if Akina is okay. _

I sink further down into the water, covering my mouth with the warm liquid. The tension slowly melts from my body, leaving my muscles feeling the strongest they have since my awakening. I rise up, wading to the edge of the pool, lifting and crossing my arms.

_Why Konoha? They should be smart enough to know how dangerous it could be for us to return to our villages. I just don't understand it. _

I grind my teeth, turning back to face the water again. As I look into my reflection, I notice that the bruise on my cheek has disappeared. I reach up, pressing my fingers against the healed skin.

"The water has a healing accelerant in it."

I turn my head in the direction of the voice, relaxing slightly when I notice Akina's handler.

"Where is she?" I ask him.

He smiles at me, pulling up a chair in front of me. "She's sleeping."

I eye him suspiciously, noticing something off about his expression. "Is she okay?"

"She did some pretty extensive damage to her arm when she punched the ground. Which begs the question, where did she get the power to tap into her chakra?"

I stare at him, raising an eyebrow. "You think I had something to do with it?"

"No, that would be impossible. But then again, you share the same curse as her, don't you?"

"Orochimaru never touched me." I snap defensively, glaring at him.

He smirks, holding his hands up slightly. "I didn't mean Orochimaru. I meant the curse of the fallen."

I blink, slowly, feeling my teeth clamp together. "I don't know what you're talking about." I turn my head, averting my gaze from his questioning eyes.

"I think you do." His hand reaches out, gripping my chin and pushing it towards himself. "All I ask is that you give me a simple yes or no. Did you feel the presence of your counterpart?"

I stare into his eyes, searching. For what, I do not know.

"No," I respond evenly.

He stares back at me with the same intensity, perhaps hoping his intensity will produce a different answer.

"I didn't feel anything. Only my own legs as we ran from all the shinobi _you_ sent after us."

He sighs, a smirk creasing his lips again before releasing my chin. "Alright." He rises up, pulling the chair away from the edge. "You should get out soon. You may prune if you stay in too long."

And with that he leaves, leaving behind a series of unanswered questions.


	24. Chapter 24: Bloodied Hands

_Akina_

It's oddly quiet when I wake up. Then again, the only thing I noticed immediately when I woke up was the pain riveting through my right arm.

"Don't move too much. The muscles in your arm are severely damaged. I thought sleep would help it, but it seems I was wrong."

Hitoshi's hands reach out, gently wrapping around my injured arm. His hands glow a gentle green as his chakra flows from his fingers, washing over my injuries.

"How the hell did you find the chakra to do that?" His brow is furrowed intensely and his eyes are solely focused on my arm.

"I didn't use any chakra. I just hit the ground with all my might."

He pauses for a moment, lifting his eyes to stare at me incredulously.

"It's not so odd. I come from a lineage of taijutsu fighters. Strong bodies allow for stronger attacks. We were taught to mean it when we hit something."

He stares at me even longer, drinking it my words and seemingly deciding whether or not to believe me. He shakes his head, pulling back his hands and reaching over to pull bandages off a nearby table. He slowly wraps the bandages from the top of my palm to the center of my biceps.

"It's a temporary fix until I can develop something better. The muscles in your arms are healed, they just don't respond properly. I'm going to try and find a way to stabilize them," he explains, pulling back his hands again.

"Why are you doing all this?" I ask, clenching together my fingers the best I can.

"You're my responsibility. Completely." He sighes, shaking his head before standing up.

I watch him leave, staring at the door for several minutes even after it's been shut. I close my eyes, releasing a long sigh before grabbing the nearest pillow and hugging it to my chest. I can't remember how long I laid on my side in that position, gripping the pillow as if my life depended on it. I didn't cry or anything like that, at least, not consciously. I just lay there, staring at the wall, letting my mind go blank…well except for the occasional thought of Sasuke.

He would never forgive me for that. Never. I'd betrayed him…Just like his brother did. I was no better than Itachi now in his eyes. That had to be the reality of things. I turn onto my opposite side, flinching at the pain the momentarily runs through my arm.

_You should've just stayed home. This is all your fault._ I hug the pillow closer, pulling it over my mouth. _This is all your fault…_

I flip back, resting my weight on my right arm, pulling out a kunai with my left. I parry the blow of Hitoshi's kunai with my own, driving my knee forward and into his stomach. He slides backwards in the dirt, but reaches out, gripping onto my outstretched leg. He leans backward, pulling me over top of him forcing me to stop myself with my hands.

I can feel the rush of energy that travels over the length of the glove on my right arm. I kick with the opposite leg, releasing his already unstable grip on my leg before rolling over to the side and pushing myself back onto my feet. He rises as well, wiping the blood from his cheek from an earlier jab. I turn my head, spitting out the blood lolling between my teeth.

"That's enough for today." He stabs the kunai into the ground, pressing it further down with his heel.

I nod, stepping forward to follow him out of our training area.

"You've improved a lot. And you've been doing exceptionally well in the other lessons we've given you," he comments, offering a congratulatory smile.

I respond with a meek smile of my own, merely nodding in response. "I suppose that means I'll get my assignment soon." It's not a question.

"Are you sure you can handle it?"

I shrug in response, garnering a small chuckle from Hitoshi. He reaches out, tugging on my hand slightly.

"What?" I ask, glancing over at him.

"Let's sneak out and grab something to eat."

I raise an eyebrow in suspicion, remembering what happened the last time we "snuck out.'" "It's not an exercise this time. I'm just hungry, okay? C'mon."

I stare at him for a few more seconds before sighing and nodding. He chuckles, pulling me forward. We walk slowly through the woods, making small talk along the way. I cast my gaze over at him while he talks, noticing the line of his jaw and the smoothness of his lips as he talks. He unconsciously reaches up, running a hand through his long, blond hair.

"Something wrong?" He asks, noticing my stare.

"No, it's just…you're beautiful," I reply, not feeling the least bit shy by my words.

He lifts a hand to his face, covering a blush creeping across his face.

"You shouldn't call a man beautiful."

I shrug, giggling a little at his shyness. He smiles slightly from behind his hand, eyes turning away from me. We break through the line of the forest, emerging just in front of a small village, hidden by the cover of the forest.

"Few people know of this place. They avoid attacks that way."

He reaches out, grabbing my hand and pulling it forward.

_His palm is warm,_ I think, following the pull of it.

He leads me into a small restaurant, moving to a seemingly familiar spot before sitting down.

"You come here often I take it?" I ask, just as the waitress walks up to us. He nods, giving me a slight smile before placing his order. I place mine before looking back over at him. He's already obtained a bottle of sake, and is pouring some into a choko.

"Would you like some?" He asks, tipping the bottle in my direction.

I nod, picking up the choko in front of my place on the table, pouring the liquid into it. It burns my throat as I drink it, sending dizzying heat throughout my body. The night continues like this, both of us passing the bottle back and forth, chatting and eating a little when our food arrives.

It's dark before we both stumble out of the restaurant, giggling with drunken delight. His arm is splayed over my shoulders, feet dragging the ground beside me. I don't know how long we walk like that, or how we came to end up on a hill. He topples over finally, taking me with him on his fall. I roll on my back, palms pressed against the cool grass. We both lie there, giggling like fools.

"This was fun," he whispers, calming the giggles.

"What's your story, Hitoshi?" I blurt out suddenly.

He pauses for a moment. "It's not very interesting."

I say nothing in response.

A sigh leaves his lips. "I was the oldest of fourteen, well, not that any of them were related to me. We were all orphans, tossed out or abandoned by our parents. I don't even remember my mother's face." He pauses, taking in a gulp of air. "We were all each other hand, all we could depend on. When you live on the street, you learn quickly you have to do whatever you need to in order to survive. If you need to steal, you steal. If you need to beg, you beg. If you need to sell yourself, you do it. It didn't matter the buyer, as long as they had money."

He pauses again, gripping the blades of grass in his hand.

"I suppose I was one of the lucky ones. One of my buyers, a business man, took an interest in me. He offered to buy my life and shelter my family. How could I say no? He took us in, gave us food and clothing and a place to sleep. Life was…comfortable. He had a big library, with tons of books in it. I knew how to read, so I would sit there for hours, reading through the pages of the books."

"Is that where you learned your medical ninjutsu?" I ask.

"Yeah," he replies. "Well, partly. There was a doctor that lived with us as well. He taught me a few things, mostly the basics. Mending bones, sealing cuts, etc. But, I was the one to learn how deadly human hands came become. I should've known our happy life couldn't stay like that for long."

A long sigh. "My first mission came when I was thirteen. Things weren't working out in the partnership my owner had created. He wanted the other man out of the picture. It was my job to make it happen. And so I did. That was the first time I'd ever seen so much blood. The first time I'd ever killed someone. The bodies just kept piling up after that, one by one. I couldn't stop and risk getting thrown out on the street again. I couldn't do that to my family. So I continued to dirty my hands, night after night.

"Finally, our deeds caught up to us. The Konoha police broke in, and captured me and my owner. I was sentenced to death a few days later, for the murder of 84 men. Turns out that wasn't even a fraction of the people I'd killed. When you're a shinobi, you're giving a set of rights based on the understandings of the law of the land. A killing becomes justified, if the reasons behind it are justifiable. But I was just an unnamed orphan, running around and slaughtering people. So I, in turn, was slaughtered."

I turn my head, my eyes meeting with his.

"So now you know my story." He turns his head, staring up at the sky again, raising his fingers toward the moon. "The reason for my dirtied hands."

"They're not dirty you know."

He turns his head, staring at me.

"Bloodied maybe," I continue, "but not dirtied."

"I've killed people," he says.

"So have I. You were protecting your family. I would've done the same. It's only natural to protect something you love."

"That doesn't excuse it."

I lift up my right hand, spreading my fingers over the moonlight. The black glove on my hand stretches easily with them.

"Hands that heal cannot be dirtied. You've healed me, given me something that would've otherwise been lost to me. I think that's pretty beautiful."

I turn my head, staring into his emerald green eyes. Slowly, one of his hands reaches out, touching the nape of my neck, brushing away the hair lying on my skin. He leans forward, pressing his lips against mine. I kiss him back, the sweet blend of alcohol and desire pushing us closer together. But, it doesn't escalate past a kiss.

He is the first to pull away, rising up on his elbow to hover over me. His thumb traces over my bruised, red lips, eyes scanning over my face for any sort of reluctance. Finally, he removes his hand, sitting up.

"We should go back," he mumbles.

I nod, staring up at him. He stands, outstretching his hand to me. I take it, gripping on tightly as he tugs me upward and onto my feet. We don't speak about what just happened. Not out of shame or anything silly like that, but merely because we don't feel the need to. He glances back at me at one point during our trek back to the base.

"Thank you," he whispers. I smile, reaching behind me and clasping my hands together.

Years later, I would look back on this night. My final night of happiness before being thrown into hell.


	25. Chapter 25: Awakening

_Miki_

The stares do not cease, no matter where it is that I go. They don't say anything, but only because they know better. I can't say that I blame them. The dead don't usually come back, after all.

I turn up the steps, taking each one slowly. I can hear shouts by the time I near the top of the stairwell.

"Hey, Grandma, it's time to go see Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei and Bushy Brow."

Naruto hasn't changed a bit I see.

I glance upward, spotting him along with Shikamaru and an older man, as well as my new charge and a young girl. "We'll go in a minute, Naruto."

"Lady Hokage," I say, interrupting. She glances over, raising an eyebrow in question. I cross my arm over my chest, bending over into a bow.

"You must be the one they sent then."

I nod, offering a small smile. "Yes, I'll be in your care from now on." "Hopefully it will be I who is in your care."

The girl standing beside her eyes me suspiciously, studying my frame.

"Hey, aren't you-?" Shikamaru begins, only to be cut off by Naruto's annoyed shout.

"Great, you've met who you needed to meet. Now let's go to the infirmary!"

She smirks, waving farewell to the middle aged male before continuing down the stairs towards me. I wait for her to pass, turning to follow behind her after she does.

"So are you a bodyguard or something?"

I glance over at the blond haired moron, smiling slightly. "You could call it that, I guess."

He banters on from that point on until we reach the infirmary, talking about nothing of consequence. I step back against the wall as we near Sasuke's room, coming to a halt just outside the door.

"You're not coming in?" Tsunade asks.

I shake my head. "It's best if I stay out here, I think."

She narrows her eyes, raising an eyebrow but saying nothing in protest. I can hear the conversation clearly, even from the distance away that I stand. It isn't long before I can hear sobs in the room, presumably Sakura's.

_Sasuke must be awake then. I can't face him…not like this. _

Naruto emerges from the door moments later, sticking his hand back in to signal Tsunade to follow him.

"We're not done yet," he says.

Tsunade walks from the room, following him down the hallway into another room. I step inside, staring at my uncle's unconscious form lying on the bed.

"You know Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asks, glancing over at me.

I smile slightly, nodding. "Yeah."

Tsunade moves in front of him, placing her hand on his forehead. It glows a soft green for a few moments before Kakashi stirs, slowly opening his eyes.

"Welcome back, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto chirps, a goofy grin on his face.

He turns to look at Naruto, eyes widening when he spots me. "You…"

I feel the corners of my lips tilt up into a small smile. "I missed you…Uncle."

I move to his bedside, sitting on the edge of the bed, facing him. His hands reach out, gingerly touching my cheek.

"It's really you, Miki." He reaches out, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me to his chest. He doesn't ask questions, but rather just sits there, holding onto me. I lift my hand, gripping onto his shoulder. I don't know when Tsunade, Naruto and the other girl left. I was too lost in the familiar feel of my uncle's arms around my shoulders.

My bliss is short-lived, however, when a chunnin suddenly comes spiriting down the halls of the infirmary. He pops his head into our room, glancing around frantically.

"Where is Lady Tsunade?" he demands.

"She went to see another patient," I say, pulling away from Kakashi.

"What's wrong?" Kakashi asks.

"The old Uchiha compound's been attacked. It's up in flames."

I can feel the blood drain from my face.

"What?" I rise up, stepping forward. "Find Lady Hokage, quickly. Let her know I'm going ahead." He nods, taking off down the hallway again.

Kakashi rises, weakly standing beside me. "I'm going with you," he announces.

"Stay here," I bark.

I dash out of the room and down the hallway, running as fast as my legs will take me. The place is an inferno by the time I reach the compound. Smoke bellows into the air, coating the blue sky an ashen gray. There are a few shinobi scattered about, trying desperately to contain the flames, but with little luck.

"Miki!"

I glance back, spotting Kakashi's form behind me. Tsunade, Naruto and the girl are not far behind him.

"Stay back," I yell.

I breath out, focusing chakra into my eyes. My Hikarinome activates with a burst of energy, illuminating the flames in front of me. I step forward, entering into the compound, despite the shouts of protest I can hear coming behind me. The heat bursts against my skin, charring it as I move into the center of the flames. I form the handsigns quickly, focusing my chakra around my body.

**Fighting fire against fire, my dear? **

_That's the idea. _

**Allow me to lend you a little strength in that case. **

I can feel the excess chakra build in the middle of my stomach, spreading outward. "Light style: Tornado of the White Flame."

White flames burst to life, circling around my body in a vicious cyclone. They spread out, ripping through the compound and extinguishing the burning flames. When the inferno is put out, I lower my hands, deactivating my Hikarinome.

"You burned it out."

I turn back, staring into my sister's coal black eyes. She stands not twenty feet away, staring at me, a smile hinting at the corner of her lips.

"Consider it a warning," she says.

She turns her head slightly, glancing back at Lady Tsunade. "Welcome back to the Leaf Village, Lady Hokage." She is gone in the next moment, leaving me to stand alone amongst the ashes.

I walk forward, going to meet the group staring at me incredulously.

"Are you alright?" Kakashi finally asks, stepping forward.

"I'm fine," I say, brushing some of the ash from my sleeves. I notice the raven-haired Uchiha, staring at the burnt wreckage. His face is frozen in a blank expression, as if he can't believe his eyes. I walk over to him, placing a hand on his back.

"Sasuke—"

"Don't touch me," he hisses, knocking away my hand.

I reach out, encasing him in my arms. His head reaches a few inches under my collar bone.

"I'm sorry," I murmur, burying my lips into his hair.

He says nothing, merely going limp in my grip.

"She's really alive," he whispers. I pull him closer, resting my chin on the top of his head.

"Yeah, she's alive."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This story is coming to a close soon. Oh no...**

**But fear not, for there is a sequel.**

**I've decided to release the chapters as I finish them, so that could mean three chapters at once, such as I'm releasing now, or none for a while. Hopefully I'll be freeing up some more time soon. **

**To answer a question left in the reviews. KSF will have a large role in the sequel. I know things are confusing right now, but stick with it and I promise I'll better explain later on!**

**Thank you to all my readers.**

**Bonne journee tout le monde,**

**Ary**


	26. Chapter 26: I Want In

_Akina_

"Satisfied now?" I ask, throwing a piece of the charred remains of the Uchiha compound in front of the pale faced traitor.

"Watch your tone towards Lord Orochimaru," the silver haired medic warns, glaring at me.

"It's alright, Kabuto. She's proved quite enough to us."

I look over at him, smirking. "Don't you have somewhere to be, Kabuto?"

He glares at me again before casting a glance at Orochimaru. Orochimaru nods, tilting his head towards the door slightly. He bows respectfully to Orochimaru, turning to leave. Orochimaru tilts his head, a smile creeping on his face as the door shuts.

"You did well."

"Thank you," I reply, a smiling hinting on my lips. "You trust me with your ring now then?"

He nods, rising from his seat to walk across the room. He selects a drawer, pulling it open and withdrawing a small, silver ring with a slate blue center and the kanji for "sky" engraved on it. Walking over to me, he places it into my palm.

"Thank you," I say, giving him a small smile.

He grips my wrist, hard enough to bruise it. "Don't forget our deal," he whispers, leaning his lips against my ear. "If I don't get the Uchiha boy, I get you instead."

I purse my lips, fighting back my disgust. "Of course."

"Though, he'll be in my grasp soon enough."

He releases my wrist, stepping back. The tone of his words sends shivers up and down my spine.

"Wait," I blurt out.

He pauses looking back at me. I gulp, stepping forward. I press my palm against his chest, looking up into his eyes.

"What if I sweetened the deal? And gave you my body in advance?"

A smile creeps across his face. He turns back to me, placing a hand on my side.

"Is that so?"

"As long as you promise not to lay a hand on the Uchiha."

"Very well," he whispers.

He pulls away, heading towards the door. "Next time you return, make sure said Uchiha is with you. I'm sending the Four to retrieve him soon."

I smile slightly, bowing to him. "I'll see to it that he gets here in one piece."

I turn, body flickering from the room.

* * *

><p>I step inside the cave entrance, activating my Yaminome to see into the darkness of the cave. I walk into the middle of the circle of stalagmites, sitting down cross legged. It isn't long before figures rise from the limestone pikes, each of them eyeing me suspiciously. There are five of them in total.<p>

"What is it you want?"

"Put simply, I want in," I respond, reaching into my shirt to show the ring dangling on the necklace around my neck.

"You've managed to gain that snake's ring?"

I glance over at the familiar voice, forcing a smile. "Itachi. It's been a while."

"How did you come to obtain Orochimaru's ring?" Another asks.

"He gave it to me, in exchange for information. So I offer you the same deal. Let me in and I'll tell you everything you want to know about Orochimaru's movements."

I stand up, looking over at the apparent leader of the group.

"We can get information on our own," he says frankly.

"Then what if I offer you Konoha as well?" I ask, smirking slightly. "I'm not saying you should trust me, but you stand to lose more by killing me than gain by bringing me into the organization. It's your choice."

The cavern falls quiet as the figures glance between one another, silently communicating. Finally, the leader turns back to me again.

"You make a convincing case, Akina. Consider yourself a member of the Akatsuki," he says finally. "You'll be on your own until a new partner arises for you."

"Kisame and I will watch over her. She's still too much of a flight-risk to be trusted on her own."

I glance over at Itachi's figure, fighting back the snarl on my lips. I smile instead, offering him a bow.

"Are you in agreement with Itachi's offer, Kisame?" the leader asks.

The form next to Itachi shrugs in response. "Sure, I don't mind babysitting."

I press my lips together, forcing them into a smile. "It seems I'll be in your care then."

"We'll be in touch, Akina. I hope this deal of yours prove useful to us," the man says, he and the others disappearing after.

With a sigh, I turn leaving the cavern. It is already nightime when I emerge.

_I did wait quite some time for them to show up_.

"Akina."

I glance over to my left, spotting Itachi's form. "You don't waste any time, do you, Uchiha?"

I turn, walking in the opposite direction.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asks, moving in front of me.

I pause, glaring up at him. "I have other things to take care of, that don't concern you." I step around him again, walking away. "Why don't you worry about your partner."

He reaches out, grabbing onto my forearm. "You're my concern now."

I raise an eyebrow in question, pulling back my arm. "What are you talking about?"

"They told you, didn't they?" he asks. "That you'd have a contact on the inside."

"What does that have to do with you?" I question, narrowing my eyes in suspicion.

"I'm that contact. You're not the only KSF member in the Akatsuki."


	27. Chapter 27: No Rest for the Wicked

_Akina_

I stare at Itachi incredulously, unable to comprehend his words.

"You're what?"

He opens his mouth to say something, but I cut him off with the raise of my palm.

"Save it. You've told some pretty terrible lies in your life, but this is one of the worst."

He averts his gaze, staring at the ground. "It's not a lie," he says quietly.

"It has to be," I snap.

I turn back to him, gritting my teeth in frustration. "Tell me then, who killed you? Who had the strength to kill the man who massacred the entire Uchiha clan?"

I can see him flinch at my words, lips pursing together slightly. "Let's go somewhere more private."

I hesitate for a moment, still shocked by his words. He outstretches his hand, waiting for me to take it.

"You'd better tell me everything," I warn, taking his outstretched hand.

In the next second we're in front of a small cabin, just outside a nearby town. He leads me inside, shutting and locking the door after I step in the doorway.

"Let me turn on some light."

I glance around, studying the room. It's simple, to say the least. Two beds, a chair, a table. Enough to stay at if the need arises. I walk over to the chair, pulling it around to face Itachi. He lights a small candle, placing it on the edge of the table.

"Start explaining," I demand, sitting down in the chair.

He moves over to the bed, sitting on the edge. His eyes remain fixated on the flickering flame. "There are many things that you are not told as a shinobi, simply because you are not trusted to know them."

"Are you going to try and tell me you didn't murder your own family?"

"It's not as simple as that."

His eyebrows furrow together as a flash of something crosses his face. "There comes a time when you have to make a choice between loyalty to your village and loyalty to the ones you hold dear. I choose the former. I murdered my family because I was ordered to. Just like your mother."

I move in front of him, grabbing the front of his shirt.

"That's a lie. Take it back," I hiss, tightening my grip around the collar of his jacket. "My mother, Miki and I were the only survivors of an attack on our family."

"Why did you have to leave Kirigakure then?" he counters.

"We were in danger. Konoha was the safest place for us."

A sad smile tilts at the corner of his lips. "Do you really believe that? Had your life really been in danger, wouldn't it have made more sense for Kirigakure to keep you in their village, where they could watch over you?"

"Why leave us alive then? If she really killed them, why leave Miki and me alive?" I ask, letting my anger control the pain building in my chest.

"Same reason I left Sasuke alive. Because she couldn't bear to murder the daughters she held so dear."

I stare at him, locking my gaze with him, searching for any signs of deceit. I lower my eyes, grinding together my teeth. Releasing his collar, I step back, walking with as much calm as I can muster back to the chair. I sink back into the chair, staring dumbfounded at the cracks in the floorboards.

"Continue," I whisper.

He once again focuses his eyes on the flickering light. "I was fine for a few days, but then the dreams started. I kept seeing their faces; the hurt, the betrayal. My guilt ate away at me until I couldn't take it anymore. So I ended it."

He brings a hand up, stopping it in front of his face. "I drank it then fell asleep. I was content to repent for my sins with my life. But, they had other plans."

The hands clenches into a fist. "They brought me back and told me that I once again had to serve the village that forced me to murder my own family. I hated them for that."

He turns his head, eyes meeting my own. "In this world, we have no freedom, not even in death."

"There is no rest for the wicked," I mumble, chuckling slightly at that thought.

The faintest hint of a smile appears on his lips. "I couldn't return to the village. Not after what I'd done. So when they heard of the Akatsuki's movements, they sent me here. I was still struggling to orient myself with my body at that point, but being here was the best therapy for me I suppose."

I sit in silence, staring down at the floorboards. Itachi says nothing, merely waiting for me to respond.

"Why are you telling me all this?" I ask finally.

"A promise I made to someone. When I heard that you were interested in joining the Akatsuki, I was…fearful…for you. You're entering in a world like you've never experienced before. You'll be asked to do things you can't fathom. It's even more dangerous for you, because you are linked with Konoha and Orochimaru. If you make one wrong step, you'll be slaughtered."

"I have no choice, Itachi," I say.

He sighs, turning a pitiful gaze towards me. "I know."

I lift up my leg, wrapping my arms around me calf and placing my cheek on my knee.

"Can I trust you?" I ask quietly.

He turns his head away, staring out the window. "You don't have much of a choice, do you?"

We sit in silence for a few more moments.

"I won't tell him, but not for you."

He looks at me, lips parting slightly in shock.

"It'll crush him if he knows, so I won't tell him. You can trust me to do that," I explain, looking over at him.

He glances down at the floor, nodding slightly. "Right."


	28. Chapter 28: Rage

_Miki_

I stare in wonder at the white buildings, composed out of hardened rock. I have only traveled close to the Sand Village, never actually stepping into it. My footsteps kick up dust into the street.

"You must be the ambassador from the Leaf," a voice asks.

I turn my head in the direction of the voice, greeting the shinobi with a smile.

"Yes, my name is Miki Hoshigaku."

The male returns my smile. "I'm Kiyoshi. It is my pleasure to welcome you to Sunagakure. If you would follow me, I will take you to greet our elders."

He turns, walking forward. I follow him, falling into step beside him.

"So, how long have you been involved in politics?" he asks me.

"Not very long," I admit. "I'm here on my Lady's orders."

He chuckles slightly, reaching up to rub the side of his lip.

"A trophy wife then," he mumbles.

I stop, narrowing my gaze. "Do you have some sort of problem with me?"

He turns, smirking, that annoying chuckle of his emerges again.

"As a matter of fact, it's people like you, who make it difficult for shinobi like me."

I'm openly glaring at him right now, deeply offended by his words. "People like me? Do you think I'm some sheltered soul?"

"Please," he snorts, interrupting me. "I'm not a betting man, but with those looks, I'd say this is your first time out of an office. You don't know pain, or suffering. Tears and bloodshed. You haven't seen death."

I can't control the laughter that bursts from my mouth. He glares at me, grinding his teeth together.

"You're ignorance is astonishing," I giggle out. I cover my mouth, straightening myself out. "There is a reason for my appearance, and while I can't explain the reason why, I can assure you I am more of a shinobi than you will ever be."

He clenches his fists, stepping towards me angrily.

"Kiyoshi, this is supposed to be a peace endeavor. Stop ruining it."

I move my gaze in the direction of the female voice, grateful for the intervention. The kunoichi offers me a deep bow, her long hot pink ponytail falling over her shoulder.

"My name is Aiara. I apologize for any insult that Kiyoshi may have given you. As you can tell, he's a moron." She raises her head, giving a pointed glare to the blonde haired shinobi. He turns his head, rolling his eyes.

"You're dismissed, Kiyoshi," she orders.

He opens his mouth, as if to voice a response, but thinks better of it and turns, leaving the two of us. She motions me forward, stepping in line beside me.

"As you can see, there are still those corrupted by Orochimaru's influence. Not all of us are like that though. We do wish to form an alliance with the Leaf," she explains.

I smile slightly, intrigued by her unwavering gaze. I place a hand on her head as we come to a halt in front of the office doors.

"You represent your village well."

I pull my hand back, pushing open the doors and stepping inside. I feel my breathe catch as I stare at the red haired boy in front of me. His eyes widen in disbelief.

"Miki."

My name leaves his lips in barely a whisper. I turn sharply, marching in any direction away from him.

"You're real aren't you? It's really you this time. I didn't kill you?"

I wheel on him, feeling my rage bubble in my chest. "Didn't kill me? No, you did. But, I accepted that. I forgave you for that. But you took her life. You murdered my sister," I can hear my voice rising to a shriek. "I will never forgive you for that."

He shrinks under my words, falling back against the wall. "I didn't…I'm sorry," he stammers.

"What's going on?"

I turn to face Temari, clenching my lips into a smile.

"I'm here from the Leaf village. This shinobi was just greeting me," I say, tilting my head towards Gaara.

She stares at me wearily for a moment, not quite able to place my face.

"Of course," she says finally.

She walks past me, guiding me forward. I cast one final glare at the boy before following her down the hallway.

"Do you know my brother?" she asks, glancing over at me.

"Faintly," I admit, averting my gaze.

She pauses for a moment, carefully considering her next words. "He's a good kid, despite what you've heard. Misunderstood, but good."

"You sound guilty."

She smiles slightly, nodding. "I am. He's scary, at times. But…Do you know a Miki by chance?"

Her question catches me off guard. "That name holds significance with him?"

"Not a day goes by that he doesn't mention it," she admonishes.

I cast my gaze downward, clenching my teeth together. "I can't say that I'm familiar with her," I lie.

She smiles disappointedly, nodding in acceptance. "It seems that she doesn't exist. I've tried looking into it, but so far, no one seems to know of her."

She stops in front of a set of double doors, turning to face me. "The elders are inside here. I hope our countries can reach a prosperous agreement."

I smile, bowing in response. "I hope that you have more luck in your search," I reply.

I reach out, pushing the doors open to step inside. The three elders sit behind a large wooden table, each of them staring at me.

"You are representing the leaf village?" the male elder on the farthest left asks me.

I nod, bowing slightly. "Yes, I am Miki Hoshigaku."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**Summer is almost here and high school is almost done for good! Anyone else excited for summer? **

**My goal is to finish this before the end of the summer, so I can get started on the sequel. I'll be going on hiatus for a year at the end of August, so I'll try to get as much done as I can.**

**As always,**

**Ary**


	29. Chapter 29: Sand Storm

_Miki_

The knock on the door interrupts my thought process, nearly causing me to drop the tea between my palms.

"Come in," I call, lifting the side of my hand to my mouth to lick off the spilled tea. The hot pink haired kuniochi from before, Aiara, steps inside the doorway.

"I trust you are doing well?" she asks.

I nod, taking another sip from my tea cup. "I apologize for any inconvenience I may be causing."

She shakes her head. "It's no inconvenience at all. We are happy to host you," she says.

I smile slightly, glancing out the window. I notice the brown cloud hurtling towards us.

"Sand storm," she informs me.

"Do you get them often?" I ask.

She nods, moving over to close the window. "You'll be fine as long as the windows remained closed."

I glance outside the window again, noticing something moving out of the corner of my eyes. A small child runs out into the street to pick up the lost ball. The sand storm is closing in fast, nearly 20 feet from her by this point. I jump up, reaching over to grab my cloak from the back of the chair.

"Where are you going?" Aiara asks. "You can't go out there."

"Stay here," I order.

I wrap the cloak around my shoulders, dashing outside. The dust fills my mouth and nose, burning my eyes and throat. I push forward, reaching out to grab the boy. I duck into a corner, shielding his eyes and mouth from the dust storm. We stand there for what seems like hours until the storm begins to clear, letting us move out back into the street.

"You're alright now," I whisper, letting him down.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

I whip around, pushing the kid behind me. Masked shinobi stand in front of me, weapons drawn. I pull out a kunai, holding it up.

"What do you want?" I ask, glaring at them.

"What does it look like?" The tallest one replies. "We're here to raid this pathetic village."

The boy clings to my cloak, shaking in fear. I bend down, whispering for him to go. He nods shakily before taking off down the street.

"Oh, no you don't," one of them shouts, throwing a kunai.

I throw the one in my hand, blocking the weapon. My fist connects to his face, knocking him flat on the ground. I pivot on my heel, ducking to avoid the arc of a sword. I grab the wrist of the next guy, twisting it behind his back before jamming my elbow into his neck. I spin back in front of him, kicking him into the next shinobi moving towards me. The tallest one grunts as sand wraps around his body, slamming him into the ground.

"You picked the wrong village," Gaara says, stepping towards the shinobi.

"We were only following orders," he stammers, scrambling backward.

"Whose orders," I ask, grabbing his shirt collar.

He glances nervously around, biting his lip anxiously. "I can't say," he cries. "She just told us to make a distraction."

"Distraction for what?" Gaara asks.

I glance up as the footsteps of a shinobi can be heard running towards us. "Urgent news from the leaf," he shouts, waving his arm at us.

He stumbles, toppling forward to the disbelief of the crowd and myself. The brunette kunoichi lands behind him, pausing only a moment to wink back at me before disappearing from sight.

_Akina! _

I run forward, crouching beside the fallen shinobi. There are three senbon lodged into the center of his chest.

_Enough to stun him, but not fatal._

"She's alive too?" I nod, not bothering to turn to face Gaara.

"Why would she attack him? Aren't you from the same village?" Temari questions, jogging up behind Gaara.

"She..um.." I stumble, searching for the right words. "She's left the village," I admit finally.

Gaara's eyes widen, staring at me in disbelief. Temari turns her gaze downward, lifting a hand to conceal her mouth.

"I'm sorry," she whispers.

"How did she get in?" Gaara asks.

"If you didn't know she was estranged, how was anyone else to? If there's one thing she's good at, it's breaking into places."

The shinobi below me coughs, finally regaining consciousness.

"You need to get back to Konoha, now," he wheezes. "Sasuke Uchiha has deflected. They need you to assist the recovery squad in retrieving him."

"Who was he with," I snap.

"Four unknown shinobi. We believe they're from the Sound Village. A fifth may be on the way. Shikamaru Nara has set out with a team of Kiba Inuzuka, Choji Akimichi, Neji Hyuuga and Naruto Uzumaki."

"Naruto?" Gaara repeats. "I'm going with you," he announces.

I whip my head around, glaring at him.

He stares back at me, unflinching. "You need me."

I clench my teeth before turning to Temari. "See to it that he gets proper medical treatment," I say, motioning to the shinobi. "And take care of the trash over there."

I stand, turning my back to Gaara. "You better not slow me down."

He nods, stepping forward to stand beside me.

"Give me your hand," I say.

He lifts up his palm, hesitantly, wonder plastered on his face. At least his learned more emotion. "What will this do?" he asks.

"I need to know with direction to go," I explain. "Once you've made a decision, your future becomes laid out before you. You just can't see it. But, I can."

I close my eyes, focusing my chakra to activate my Yaminome. I press my palm against his, only to be met by a thin layer of sand.

_Show me the future. _

Images flash through my head like a whirlwind, before rolling into a movie like reel. Forests whirl by in a flash of green and brown. Several times, I see myself as he glances over at me, watching my movements. We come to a halt just outside an open field, crouching behind a nearby tree.

_I recognize this place. _

Breathing in, I release my kekki-genkai, opening my eyes to look at him.

_My hand feels…warm? _

He pulls back his hand first, severing the faint contact between our palms.

"We're going too." I notice Kankuro's appearance behind Temari before he even speaks.

I hesitate for a moment, staring between the three of them before nodding. "Why not? Stay close, keep up. Go get what you need, then meet me back here in ten minutes," I order.

Temari and Kankuro nod, turning to head back to their rooms presumably.

"Miki."

I turn, exasperated, only to be met with a thin set of lips pressing gently against my own. The chaste kiss lasts for only a few seconds, before his sand forcibly separates us. He looks down, allowing his sand to lower him back to the ground. My hand shoots to my face, covering my mouth.

"I don't have a good feeling about this. I just didn't want any regrets," he explains.

He walks away in the next moment, leaving me to stand dumbfounded in the middle of the street.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: First kiss..finally!**

**That's all.**

**Ary**


	30. Chapter 30: The End

_Akina_

"You don't have to do this, Sasuke. You don't have to leave everyone like this. Come back with Naruto and me. Don't choose this dark path." Miki's voice carries across the forest as I near the open lake. "Orochimaru doesn't care for you, Sasuke! Your friends, your family…"

"What family?" Sasuke snaps in return. "I have no family. Itachi killed them all!"

She pauses for a moment while he huffs in anger. "I've known you since we were five, Sasuke. I was there that night, too. I lived there. Everyone there was my family, too. Now, you and me, we're the only family we have left."

I come to a stop on a branch just outside the clearing, observing the scene. Miki has her hand outstretched to him, palm turned towards the sky.

"Please, Sasuke," Naruto begs.

_Turn away from her. Just walk away. I don't want to get involved if I don't have to. _

He stands there, hesitating, glancing anxiously between the two of them. Finally, he lifts his foot, taking a step towards them.

_Damn it_.

I body flicker forward, placing a hand on his chest to push him back.

"I'm afraid I can't let him go with you," I tell her. "I have strict orders to deliver him to Otogakure, and I'm not about to die over this."

Her eyes widen ever so slightly before her expression falls blank. She reaches down, untying her headband from around the belt at her waist. Lifting it to her forehead, she quickly reties it before stepping forward.

"Akina Hoshigaku, as a member of the Hokage's personal guard, I hereby place you under arrest for the following crimes: arson, assault on military personnel, theft, trespassing, and finally, desertion. You are to come with me immediately back to Konoha, where you will face trial for your crimes against the village."

I raise a hand, covering my mouth in a feeble attempt hide my laughter.

"Please," I say, raising a finger to wipe the tears from my eyes. "Do you really think I'm going to listen to anything you say?"

"You may be my sister, but I have my own orders, and _I_ intend to complete them. If I have to drag you back unconscious I will."

"You're not taking her anywhere," Sasuke hisses, stepping protectively in front of me.

"You're not going _anywhere,_" Naruto retorts, moving in front of Miki.

"I don't take orders from weaklings," Sasuke replies.

"We're leaving," I announce, placing my hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

We turn, moving to step away from the situation. I grab a kunai from the holster at my thigh, swiveling around to block the kunai aimed at my head. I return Miki's strike using the kunai in my hand, surging forward to meet her blow. I duck, avoiding her right hook narrowly. I throw my foot up in retaliation, knocking against her forearms that block her side. She forces down my leg, lashing out with her own foot. I catch it with my left hand, protecting my stomach from the powerful kick. She follows through with the opposite foot, with a round house kick to the temple. I lean backward, forcing my back parallel to the ground. I lift back up, throwing my fist forward at the same time she does. Knuckles make contact with flesh, sending us both sliding backward against the water.

My mouth fills with blood as I come to a stop. I turn my head to the side to spit it out, running my hand across my mouth afterward.

"Someone's been practicing," I comment, smirking.

She smirks back, wiping her own mouth. "I could say the same about you."

We bring our hands together at the same time, hand signs moving in perfect harmony.

_Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu. _

The water rises in a flurry as the dragon clash, devouring one another. As the water pours down I roll to the right, sensing the barrage of shruiken soaring towards me. I push my arm behind my head, rolling back on my palm to flip onto my feet, avoiding her next punch. Activating my Yaminome, I pull my hand back, forcing chakra into my hand. Black lightning condenses around it, forming a deadly blade over my hand. I step forward, outstretching my hand at her neck. She sidesteps, turning her head to the side. My hand collides with the edge of her hand, slicing through several strands. I bring my hand back swiftly, slicing through her stomach. She takes several steps backwards in an attempt to avoid it, but fails to do so completely. The cream colored shirt she is wearing slices open, exposing the thin, red line on her stomach. I duck, barely sensing her next attack as her flames sear the top of my shoulder. I rise up, catching her punch with my left hand. I return the blow, only to have her catch my fist.

"Why are you doing this?" she asks, pushing against me.

I push back with the same amount of force until my arms shake violently. "I don't have a choice," I reply between gritted teeth.

We push off, sliding back once again.

"I'm not going back with you, Naruto," Sasuke shouts.

"Why not?" Naruto snarls. "I can't believe you would just abandon all the people who care for you. And for what? _Him?_ You coward!"

"Shut up, you fool! You don't know anything," Sasuke replies.

I'm caught off guard by Miki's sudden appearance in front of me. I grab her arms defensively as she slams me against the water, pinning me.

"You don't even know where he is," Miki cries. "You're really going to throw everything to chance?"

Her hands tighten around my neck, forcing me lower into the water. Sasuke hesitates again, allowing Naruto's fist to connect with his jaw.

"I know where he is," I shout.

I launch my leg into Miki's stomach, kicking her off me. Sasuke recoils at Naruto's next punch, slamming his chidori powered hand into his shoulder. He jumps down next to me as I lift myself into a sitting position.

"I know where he is," I repeat between gulps of air. "I'll tell you, but only if you come with me and complete your training with Orochimaru."

He stares at me, eyes unwavering.

"Sasuke," Naruto snarls.

His shoulder has healed, leaving only the rough twist of skin. I can feel the demon fox's chakra emanating from him. The cursed seal crawls over my skin in the next moment, lighting it on fire.

I rise along with Sasuke, looking over at Miki. Her Hikarinome blazes in her eyes as she stares at me with contempt.

"Let's end this," Sasuke says.

I nod as he leaves me, returning to face Naruto again.

Miki stares at me as the sounds of their fight resume.

"Is this really what you want?" she asks. Her expression is full of sadness now.

"Fate has a funny way of intervening in our desires. You should know that by now."

She forms hand signs, outstretching her hands. Her red hair slowly begins to fade to white as her chakra builds in her body, releasing a powerful aura. Tattoos slowly crawl over her skin, contrasting against her tanned skin.

"It shouldn't have come to this," she says.

I form my own hand signs, feeling the power of the cursed seal flow through my body. My skin turns a dull gray as I outstretch my hands.

_Yami?_

**Yes, my dear. **

_Lend me your strength_.

**Of course. **

"I'm sorry," I reply.

_Black Lightning Typhoon._

Our attacks fire from our palms at the same time, colliding in a fiery burst of energy. They rip through one another, slamming into both of us with the force of a thousand storms. My body is flown backward and sent crashing into the nearby forest. I tilt my head up, staring into the dark sky before falling into oblivion.

…

The feel of the rain against my skin brings me back into consciousness. I rise up slowly, raising a hand to my forehead gingerly.

"Damn."

I glance at the cuts adorning my arms, remarking my tattered cloths as well. I reach over, gripping my shoulder as I drag myself out of the newly formed ditch that extends for miles.

_A normal person would be dead_, I think.

I walk forward, my body exhausted by the lack of chakra. Sasuke emerges through the trees in front of me, his feet barely pulling him along. He moves towards me as soon as he spots me, collapsing into my arms. We both topple to the ground, the fight taking its toll on us.

"I love you," he whispers.

He goes slack in the next moment, losing consciousness. I lean down, kissing the top of his head gently.

"You're not a coward," I say, stroking his head. "You are so brave for doing this for your country."

I pick him up, glancing back towards the lake once more before carrying him towards the future.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Second to last chapter...what?**

**First, I would like to thank everyone who has been following/enjoying my story. I really appreciate it, and you have inspired my work beyond belief. **

**Second, it's summer! Woot!**

**Please continue to read/review. I want to know your thoughts! Also, if you like this story, be sure to check out my other ones.**

**As always,**

**Ary**


	31. Chapter 31: To the Future

_Miki_

I lean back against the wall, staring blankly at the floor. Shikamaru sits opposite the Hokage, face hidden behind laced fingers.

"It's my fault," I say finally. Tsunade looks over at me, her expression blank. "It was my responsibility to bring Sasuke back. I lost, and I failed."

"No," Shikamaru interrupts. He stands, clenching his fists in anger. "I was the team leader. I was the one who was supposed to keep everyone safe."

I sigh, turning to walk down the hallway. I place my head on Shikamaru's head as I pass by.

_You did your best. _

"Where are you going?" he asks.

"To save a teammate," I reply.

I walk inside the double doors, making my way towards the guarded doors. Siori is already there, pleading desperately with the guards.

"Just let me go in! I can help!" Her usually calm voice is shaking violently with apprehension.

"Siori," I call. She turns to me, tears spilling over her eyes.

"I'll save him."

She raises her hands to her face, tears spilling over her fingertips.

"Let me in," I order.

The guards hesitate for a moment, but step apart after catching my gaze. I step inside the dark room, staring at the scene.

"You shouldn't be in here," one of the healers shouts.

"Shizune," I say.

She glances over at me, sweat beating down her brow.

"Turn on the lights, and everyone move."

She stares at me for a moment, pursing her lips together.

"You heard her," she says finally.

The medical shinobi cease their jutsu, a collective sign filling the room. The lights click on in the next moment, flooding the room with brightness. I step forward, activating my Hikarinome as I lean over the Hyuuga's body.

"You can't possibly do this alone," one of the medical shinobi says.

"I can heal anything, as long as it has the will to live."

I place my palm against his breast, just over his heart. White tattoos dance across my skin, glowing faintly in the light. His body illuminates as I flow my chakra down my arm and into his body forcing it into his shoulder. I push down my fingertips, drawing small dots of blood.

_Hikari, heal this boy. _

She answers my request by sending an explosion of chakra down my arm and into his body. As I pull my hand back, I notice the insignia now tattooed in white ink on his shoulder. It faintly matches the ones that appear on my body whenever Hikari's power in prominent in my body. I stand up, walking away from the scene.

"He'll be okay," I say to Siori as I leave the room.

I make my way out to the balcony of the hospital, leaning against the railing to support my rickety body.

_That took more out of me than I thought it would. _

"I'm glad you're alright."

I don't turn at the sound of Gaara's voice.

"I wouldn't call it 'alright,'" I reply.

He moves beside me, standing with his arms at my side.

"She'll be back," he says.

I stare out at the view, smirking slightly.

_You have no idea._

"I'm not worried about Akina. She's always been able to handle herself. I just…" I pause. "I never imagined Sasuke would just abandon everyone like this."  
>"He had things to sort out. This was his way of doing it," Gaara says.<p>

"That doesn't make it any easier," I retort.

"It's not supposed to."

"Hoshigaku." I turn to face the shinobi. "Lady Tsunade would like to speak with you."

I nod in response.

"That's my queue to leave," I say to Gaara. "One more thing though."  
>I step back, taking the side of his face and bend over, pressing my lips against his. I release him before his sand has the opportunity to shove me away.<p>

"You and I both have some growing up to do." I smile at him, waving goodbye before leaving the balcony.

I meet Tsunade down the hall, in a secluded area of the hospital.

"You did well," she says.

"Getting my ass kicked wasn't part of the plan. That really happened."

"Either way."

"Why are you putting him in danger like this," I ask. "Akina could've handled it on her own."

"Akina is walking a fine line right now. She's there to be an asset and informant, nothing more. Itachi is invested in the Akatsuki. We needed someone in the same position with Orochimaru. Sasuke was the perfect candidate," she explains.

"You're sending him into the lion's den."

"I know." I can hear the remorse in her voice. "I have no choice though. Things are only going to become more difficult from this point on, Miki. I need to know that you're dedicated to this."

I lift my hand, pulling my fist against my heart. "I belong to this village, just as the Uchihas and my sister. I'll follow you until I'm no longer useful," I declare.  
>She steps forward, placing a hand on my shoulder. "To the future then." She steps past me, walking forward.<p>

I glance out the window, noticing the faint trace of the full moon behind the clouds.

"Whatever that entails," I whisper, turning away to follow Tsunade down the hall.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: THE END...or is it?**

**Stay tuned for the sequel. I'll upload the first chapter sometime next week.**

**Stay classy, **

**Ary**

**[Edit]: The sequel is now up! Check it out. It's titled Under the Light of the Fallen Moon.  
><strong>


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